BAKERSFIELD, CA--The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says we can expect high levels of flu activity to continue for the next several weeks. In Kern County the number of deaths from the flu is dramatically rising. Seven people have now been confirmed dead six of them since Friday.
One Bakersfield mother told 17 News her son has had H1N1 twice over the past couple of years and does not want to see another family have the same experience.
Eight-year-old Seth Claiborne is a healthy child now but that was not the case two years ago. He became ill but doctors initially thought it was common virus. His mother, Cynthia Claiborne said 15 minutes after coming home from the doctors Seth took a turn for the worse suffering a seizure.
"Mouth was blue he wasn't breathing,” Claiborne said. “He had slobber coming out."
Claiborne immediately called 911.
"Sure enough he had the H1N1 virus,” Claiborne said. “The doctor told us that it was a blessing he had the seizure because they caught it early enough before it started doing damage."
Traumatic as the experience was Claiborne did not make getting the annual flu shot a household tradition. A decision that would come to haunt her last year when Seth and his 17-year-old brother both came down with H1N1.
"This year I got their flu shots because it's scary."
Scary indeed as Kern County was one of the first regions to see such severe flu cases. Forty nine people have been hospitalized with 32 admitted to the intensive care unit. Seven people have died so far and that has health officials urging people to get vaccinated.
"The current season's flu vaccine gives you protection for two types of Influenza A and one type of Influenza B. H1N1 is a type of Influenza A which has protection in the current season's influenza vaccine," says Dr. Claudia Jonah, kern county department of public health.
After Claiborne's experience she thinks schools should enforce regular flu shots so other parents do not have to see their children suffer like hers did.
"I think so why not?” Claiborne said. “They do it for the chicken pox and all the other, why not for the flu? It's highly contagious."
Though, health officials believe the word is getting out. On a normal day the see about 50 people for any type of immunization. Monday they saw more than two hundred.
One Bakersfield mother told 17 News her son has had H1N1 twice over the past couple of years and does not want to see another family have the same experience.
Eight-year-old Seth Claiborne is a healthy child now but that was not the case two years ago. He became ill but doctors initially thought it was common virus. His mother, Cynthia Claiborne said 15 minutes after coming home from the doctors Seth took a turn for the worse suffering a seizure.
"Mouth was blue he wasn't breathing,” Claiborne said. “He had slobber coming out."
Claiborne immediately called 911.
"Sure enough he had the H1N1 virus,” Claiborne said. “The doctor told us that it was a blessing he had the seizure because they caught it early enough before it started doing damage."
Traumatic as the experience was Claiborne did not make getting the annual flu shot a household tradition. A decision that would come to haunt her last year when Seth and his 17-year-old brother both came down with H1N1.
"This year I got their flu shots because it's scary."
Scary indeed as Kern County was one of the first regions to see such severe flu cases. Forty nine people have been hospitalized with 32 admitted to the intensive care unit. Seven people have died so far and that has health officials urging people to get vaccinated.
"The current season's flu vaccine gives you protection for two types of Influenza A and one type of Influenza B. H1N1 is a type of Influenza A which has protection in the current season's influenza vaccine," says Dr. Claudia Jonah, kern county department of public health.
After Claiborne's experience she thinks schools should enforce regular flu shots so other parents do not have to see their children suffer like hers did.
"I think so why not?” Claiborne said. “They do it for the chicken pox and all the other, why not for the flu? It's highly contagious."
Though, health officials believe the word is getting out. On a normal day the see about 50 people for any type of immunization. Monday they saw more than two hundred.