Vaccine urged for asthma patients

The family of a man who died Sunday from complications caused by swine flu is urging people -- especially those with asthma -- to remain vigilant against the virus and get vaccinated.

Warren Craig Crosby, 54, of Walterboro died from pneumonia after suffering from the H1N1 virus, family members said.

Crosby, who had asthma, fell ill Nov. 2 with what doctors first diagnosed as bronchitis. But as the month progressed, his illness worsened and he ended up at Medical University Hospital, where efforts to keep him alive failed.

"He and I were best buds," said Crosby's brother Miles Crosby, a former local TV and radio personality. "It's been a horrific past month. It was like being in a nightmare that you don't wake up from."

Crosby said his brother was over the flu three or four days before his death but that the damage had been done.

The local office of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control would not comment on the death or whether it was the first death attributed to the H1N1 virus in the Charleston area.

Local DHEC Public Information Director Linda Pranger said that the state has authorized only statewide reports and that 36 people in South Carolina have died from complications of the flu from Sept. 1 to Nov. 21.

"They (DHEC officials) are keeping track of all those numbers in Columbia," Pranger said. "Our direction is to give out statewide numbers. ... I don't know (the specific reason), but I think it's because the numbers are so low. There's not a reason for people to need to know."

The Post and Courier has submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for the detailed numbers.

Christopher Crosby, a son of Warren Craig Crosby, said the family is in shock because his father, other than the asthma and a problematic back, was healthy and enjoyed an active life. He particularly liked to go hunting.

"It (his death) happened so quickly," said Christopher, a 32-year-old public safety officer for the city of Walterboro.

He said his father received a seasonal flu shot but didn't get an H1N1 vaccination because it wasn't readily available before his illness.

"Everyone needs to get the swine flu shot," he said.

It's a personal message that has been stressed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recent months.

In October, the federal agency reported that asthma sufferers are the hardest hit by H1N1. A report noted that while asthma occurs in 8 percent of the U.S. population, 32 percent of those hospitalized for H1N1 had asthma. On Nov. 19, the centers posted another report saying: "Everyone with asthma who is ages 6 months through 64 years should get the 2009 H1N1 flu shot when it becomes available."

Pranger said that people with chronic illnesses, such as asthma, are among the risk groups that are given priority for H1N1 vaccines and that the local office has received a total of 44,900 vaccines and administered 16,000 doses.

"We have plenty of vaccine for all those in risk groups," she said, "and they should call and make an appointment."

H1N1 clinics

The local office of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control has ample H1N1 swine flu vaccines for those who are in high-risk groups -- pregnant women, caregivers for babies younger than 6 months of age, people ages 6 months to 24 years, health care workers and people ages 25 through 64 with chronic illness.

Call 953-0090 between 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday to make an appointment. For now, vaccines are only for high-risk groups.

For details on locations, click here.