South still leads in child deaths from swine flu

Three weeks ago, Facing South reported that two-thirds of child deaths attributed to the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, had happened in states centered in the South.

Here's an update: The South's share of H1N1 fatalities has declined, but children in Southern states are still bearing the brunt of the epidemic.

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control show that, out of 117 pediatric deaths directly related to swine flu, 49 have come from two areas in or near the South.

The CDC collects data in 10 regions nationally. Region 6, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, leads the nation with 44 H1N1 deaths among children.

Region 4, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, has the second-highest figure: 25.

Together, the two regions make up 42% of the total child deaths from H1N1.

Why has swine flu been uniquely devastating in Southern states? The high rate of children without health insurance in many Southern states, and therefore limited health care options, could be one factor.

Another is timing: Swine flu hit the South first, so it's claimed more victims in the region. Other areas might well catch up as the H1N1 virus makes its way through populations in places like the Northeast (one of the few where the documented cases of the virus isn't in decline).

Here's a Google Flu Trends map that shows which states first documented 5,000 cases of H1N1:














As Nate Silver at 538.com (not just election analysis!) observes:

Although the initial outbreak of H1N1 back in April was centered on Texas, California, New York, Illinois and South Carolina, the place where the flu first hit critical mass several months later was in Louisiana. It then slowly radiated its way outward to most of the neighboring states -- Maine finally hit the 5,000-point threshold just last week.