Pregnant Woman in L.A. Dies of Swine Flu
La Opinión, News Report, Yurina Rico, Translated by Elena Shore, Posted: Nov 06, 2009
LOS ANGELES -- Monica Rodriguez, a 27-year-old Latina in Los Angeles County who was five months pregnant, became one of the latest victims of the H1N1 flu.
Her husband, Jorge Gonzalez, took her to El Monte Community Hospital on Oct. 14, but she was not diagnosed with the flu. The next day he called paramedics around 10:00 p.m. because she couldn’t breathe. The ambulance brought her to the same hospital.
At 2:30 a.m., she called to say that she had already been discharged; they sent her home with a prescription for cough syrup.
But on Oct. 17, Jorge took Monica to Arcadia Methodist Hospital, where they immediately placed her in the intensive care unit. It was in this hospital where, according to the death certificate, the patient died from the H1N1 flu.
"She was really sick. She couldn’t breathe, she had a fever and a bad cough. Her situation just got worse each day,” said Jorge, hiding his tears from their three-year-old daughter, Fernanda.
"She doesn’t know her mother died. I don’t know how to tell her. I don’t know what to do. My head isn’t working," cried Jorge, holding his head in his hands.
Jorge describes Monica as a young woman, full of life, whom he called “mi amor”
(my love).
The couple, originally from Guatemala, had been married for five years.
"That’s how we treated each other, with lots of love. The last time we spoke, I said, 'Mi amor...' and she immediately said, 'Don’t worry, amor.’ Those were her last words," said the young husband, who works as a taxi driver.
Monica died Sunday, Oct. 25 at the hospital. The baby she was carrying did not survive either.
The name of the baby was Monica, said Jorge, who said that his daughter would be buried in her mother’s arms.
"The doctor told me that little Monica had her mother’s dimples. I haven’t seen her. I don’t have the strength to see my dead baby and wife.
According to Jorge and attorney Luis Carrillo, the young woman died because she did not receive timely treatment, despite going to the hospital twice.
"If she had been hospitalized on the first day she went to the hospital, this would not have happened. She had to wait four days before receiving treatment. That was what killed her," said Carrillo.
Monica was pregnant, with a high fever, cough and difficulty breathing. "According to CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommendations, this would have been enough to hospitalize her, but they didn’t," said the lawyer, who is now suing El Monte Community Hospital.
The CDC Web site has created a special section to prevent high-risk pregnant women from falling ill from the virus.
"A pregnant woman with any kind of flu has a greater likelihood of having serious health complications. Compared with the general population that gets the flu, pregnant women with H1N1 are more likely to be admitted to the hospital ... more likely to have complications and die," warns the U.S. government.
The CDC recommends that all pregnant women get vaccinated against the new virus. However, this recommendation came too late for Monica, who was already gravely ill when the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health started distributing the vaccine on Oct. 23.
Official CDC data reveals that out of the total number of pregnant women who have been hospitalized, 28 percent have died.
La Opinión communicated with El Monte Community Hospital, but as of the close of this edition, no one was available for comment.
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