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Kyree Gamble, a 5-year-old student at Rolling Acres Elementary School, was the first child to die of H1N1 in the state, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Kyree had battled the disease for three weeks after he was taken by his mother, Marci Place, to Gettysburg Hospital on Oct. 11 with a fever, said Megan Shreve, executive director of South Central Community Action Programs Inc., where Place is employed.
Shreve said Kyree was moved to Hershey the same day and was tested for swine flu soon after. Within a week, a diagnosis of H1N1 was confirmed.
The Department of Health on Tuesday was awaiting confirmatory test results, said Stacy Kriedeman, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
"Based on the information we have now, this is the state's first pediatric H1N1 death," Kriedeman said Tuesday morning.
Kriedeman said she would have more information to release once the test results come back.
After going into respiratory arrest during his first night in the hospital, Kyree was connected to a heart-lung machine, which doctors hoped would help heal his flu-damaged lungs, Shreve said. As recent as Friday, Kyree seemed to be improving, she said.
But after several weeks on the machine - which also thins the blood - Kyree died Saturday from pneumonia and the hemorrhaging in his lungs, Shreve said.
At school
According to Shreve, Kyree attended school at Rolling Acres through the Friday before his hospitalization.
Littlestown Area School District Supt. Donald Wills said Monday afternoon the district is making grief counselors available to any students who might need them.
From the start of the school year, Wills said, school officials have followed every recommendation issued by the Department of Health. He said officials will see if there is anything more that can or should be done in light of Kyree's death.
Nurses in the district have been careful and cautious in dealing with any signs of the flu swiftly and diligently, Wills said. Students have been sent home and parents have been advised to see a doctor.
School officials have also been diligent in keeping parents informed, he said. Wills said Kyree was out of school for multiple weeks before his death.
"We have done everything and will continue to do everything possible to make sure our children are safe," Wills said.
Healthy child
Shreve said doctors knew Kyree had H1N1 during the first days of his illness. Doctors did several cultures and tests to diagnose the disease to prescribe the appropriate treatment and care, she said.
Kyree was a healthy child with no pre-existing conditions, Shreve said. His mother did everything right by seeking immediate medical attention and took him to the hospital when she saw he wasn't feeling well, she said.
Place also stayed at his side every day for three weeks and was with him when he died.
"Her heart is broken," Shreve said. "She is grieving. She knows Kyree fought so hard. She lost her baby."
Shreve described Kyree as a "lovely little guy," who loved to organize things and help others.
"You feel so helpless. This is so sad. He was such a great kid. We are all stunned. This is not what we expected," she said.
Donate
Marci Place's co-workers are seeking donations to help with funeral costs for Kyree, said Megan Shreve, executive director of South Central Community Action Programs Inc. Contributions can be sent to SCAAP at 153 N. Stratton St., Gettysburg, with the notation "Marci."
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