May 6th, 2009 First U.S. Swine Flu Death Occured Tuesday
On Tuesday, May 5, 2009, Texas health officials announced the first death of a U.S. resident with swine flu. Trunnell was a 33-year-old schoolteacher, pregnant with her second child.
A time meant for celebration and joy for a pregnant Texas woman quickly turned tragic.
Judy Trunnell, a 33-year-old Texas woman who died Tuesday is the first known fatality from the swine flu outbreak in the United States. She had been hospitalized since April 19. Trunnell was pregnant and also had “chronic underlying health conditions,” though no more details were provided as to what these “health conditions” might be. Just last week, the state of Texas had listed the Trunnell as critically ill.
Trunnell was a school teacher for Mercedes Independent School District about 15 miles west of her hometown of Harlingen, a city of about 63,000 near the U.S.-Mexico border. Due to the length of her hospitalization, officials do not believe that the virus was spread to any of her students. State Health Officials are still unsure if Trunnell had traveled to Mexico recently. On Tuesday, May 5, 2009, Judy Trunnell died after slipping into a coma. Her baby was delivered by Cesarean section and is doing fine thus far. She leaves behind a 4 year old child and a husband.
