Flu Kills Las Cruces 8-Year-Old; H1N1 Could Be To Blame

It’s been nearly a year since the borderland came face to face with an H1N1 death, but the sudden death of a Las Cruces girl is raising new concerns among the community and among parents.

Both officials from Las Cruces Public Schools and the New Mexico health department said it is too early to confirm whether Savannah McCann’s death is due to H1N1, but that didn’t stop them from sending home a letter to parents, warning them about the dangers of flu season.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reported that the Office of the Medical Investigator confirmed Tuesday afternoon that McCann’s cause of death was influenza; additional tests are being run to confirm that H1N1 was, indeed, the sub-type.

“My daughter came home and yelled, ‘Mom, one of our classmates died. she was in 3rd grade,” Angelica Lampke said. “We didn’t know what the reason was, but she said it was a disease.”

Lamke’s daughter attends Desert Hills Elementary, the same school McCanna attended before she died last Saturday. School and health officials said they will have to wait for autopsy results before they know for sure whether H1N1 is to blame, but parents said they’re glad district officials kept them informed.

“You just have to be aware of everything that’s going on,” Lampke said. “Just as a parent, you have to be alert and know your kids really well.”

Lampke has some experience with the virus. Both her daughters and her husband got hit with H1N1 last year. School health officials emphasized to children the importance of washing hands and warned parents to keep their kids home from school if they’re sick. But school officials are taking some precautions of their own.

“We have also taken a precaution of additional deep cleaning of classrooms and common areas of the school last night and this morning,” LCPS Superintendent Stan Rounds said.

“It’s just an eye opener,” Lampke said. “It’s always good to be reminded of what’s out there.”