H1N1 flu risks high for healthy youths

Disease patterns perplex doctors
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
By Ann Geracimos

One of the best aspects of the 2009 novel H1N1 flu virus is that most people infected get nothing worse than the symptoms of a bad cold.

But the worst and most mysterious aspect is that the disease strikes an unusually large number of healthy young people and can be fatal for adolescents and young adults even when they receive intensive care treatment, according to two studies released Monday.

"Young healthy people who have had no underlying condition: that is humbling and mysterious. It is rare, but once you see it, you never forget it. You pour in the antibacterials and pray," Dr. John Bartlett, a professor of medicine and a former director of infectious diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told The Washington Times. the rest