Fall 2014-6F Ann Arbor The Michigan Daily -- michigandaily.com Twelve hospitalized in UMHSintensive care with HiN1 Doctors say lack of vaccination may be factor in high number of cases By IAN DILLINGHAM Daily Neas Editor Twelve patients at the Uni- versity Hospital are receiving treatment in the intensive care unit after contracting the H1N1 influenza virus - the same strain seen in the 2009 "swine flu" pandemic. Dr. Sandro Cinti, professor of infectious diseases, said sev- eral of the patients have been placed on an advanced form of life support known as ECMO - extracorporeal membrane oxy- genation. While the procedure is intended to give patients more time to recover from their dis- ease, Cinti said it is both "very serious" and a "last resort" for the most seriously afflicted patients. All twelve patients are cur- rently breathing with the help of mechanical ventilators and receiving aggressive treatment to prevent infection while doc- tors treat the underlying influ- enza. The patients range in age from 22 to 58 and most were considered healthy prior to con- tracting the disease. This range is consistent with 2009 infection patterns, which showed young- er demographics infected at a higher rate than the elderly, who were most likely exposed to a similar form of the disease many years ago. H1N1 was most widely pub- licized during 2009 - prior to the creation of a vaccine - when it killed over 470 individuals in the U.S. Despite fading from the public spotlight, the disease has been present in every flu season since the pandemic, Cintisaid. "Last year it was just at a very low level, but this year it's the main flu going around," Cinti said. Since the current flu vaccine is designed to protect individu- als against the HiNi flu strain, doctors at UMHS speculate the 12 individuals currently in the ICU did not receive the vaccine, or were infected before it was able to take effect. "This is a preventable disease, so people should get vaccinat- ed," Cinti said. "This is another example of what happens when the population doesn't take recommendations from public health and get vaccinated." Although UMHS usually sees several critical flu cases each year, Cinti said 12 patients is an unusual occurrence. In addition, the flu season is not expected to hit its peak for another couple of weeks, meaning more cases could be admitted. This year's flu season, which started slightly later than in the past, will likely extend into Feb- ruary and potentially further, Cinti said. The University accepts com- plex referrals from across the region, which may have contrib- uted to the high number of criti- cal cases. "That's one of the reasons we may be seeing more sick patients is that we are a referral cen- ter from all over the state and from other states," Cinti said. "This particular procedure, this machine is really unique to just a few centers in the state." ECMO was used in a similar context in 2009 to treat criti- cal patients. Although it wasn't originally designed for this pur- pose, it has been used to suc- cessfully treat a small number of extreme cases. "By the time you're on ECMO, you're pretty sick and your chances of survival or rather low," Cinti said. Cinti advises individuals to take protective measures, such as staying home if sick, to pre- vent spreading the flu to other individuals. PARKING From Page 1F lems with the way the building matched others nearby. In 2008, the Ann Arbor City Council got involved by passing a resolution asking the University to pause plans, which led to the unsuccessful attempt at partner- ship later that year. Executive Parking Director Steve Dolen said the garage did receive more attention than can be typical. "This one, there may have been more of a level of engage- ment because of the proximity to private residence," he said. "But I think there's always a level of community engagement with our projects." The final design of the newly- opened garage included several features designed to address community concerns, including a rain garden for runoff, a layered pattern of darker brick to blend more with surrounding buildings and panels detailing the street's history. However, Tim Mortimer, pres- ident of the Riverside Park Place Condominium Association, said nearby residents remain dissatis- fied with the final product. "None of the genuine concerns were addressed," he said. "They essentially put lipstick on a pig." He cited unresolved issues of increases in traffic and noise as well as potential danger to chil- dren from busier streets, adding that -the environmental impact from the pressure of 700 addi- tional vehicles in the area also remains a broader, fundamental split of interest between the city and the University. "The last thing the city needs is to have more single-occupant vehicles commuting back and forth near the center of the city and back out again," Mortimer said. "What's needed is the Uni- versity to be genuinely committed (to environmental stewardship.)" This isn't the only Univer- sity project in recent years to run into issues due to a location on the edges of campus. When North Quadrangle was pro- posed in 2006, original designs were rejected by the regents because of concerns about walk- ability and fit. Several features, including the courtyard, were added to help blend the building more with its surroundings. Kosteva said the primary consideration when deciding to build on outer parts of campus is whether the project fulfills the University's core purposes. "We are attempting to provide the residents and the taxpayers of the state of Michigan; and our student and our healthcare cus- tomers, with quality facilities to provide research and teaching and healthcare environments that satisfy and enhance our mis- sion," he said. He added that while he hoped residents would agree that com- munity input was incorporated in the garage, he recognized that they were advocating for other uses for the space. "You would understandably get two different opinions about the extent of accommodation and how much of the commentary and comments are reflected in it," he said. "I think, as I outlined, this was a case where the Univer- sity did listen, and we did hear the expressions of concern and the expression of interest regard- ing the architectural treatment and the facility's impact on the neighborhood." In the end, Councilmember Sabra Briere (D- Ward 1), whose ward includes the project, said legally there's not much recourse available to residents. The Uni- versity isn't currently obligated to compromise with the city on this, or on other construction projects. However, she added that while she recognized the University's desire to meet its needs, she hopes in the future they'll do it in a way that's more conciliatory with the city. "I don't fault the University for having its own agenda," she said. "I just wish that they'd recognize that other people and groups have rights as well." DEWOLF From Page iF the dots back to DeWolf's alleged killers. Police found it had been sold on Craigslist by a man named Jayson Atkins, who made the exchange in Ann Arbor at the State Street Starbucks. In state- ments to the police, Atkins asserted that he had met another man, Joei Jordan, at a gas sta- tion and paid $200 for the stolen Macbook Air. He also provided police with an explanation for the cheap price tag: the sell- ers only had a short period of time to move their goods before "heading south." It was this identification of the man respon- sible for the sale of this stolen laptop that lead police to arrest Jordan, Franklin and Jones in South Carolina. At this point, it is unclear how exactly the three were tracked down. In South Carolina, Jordan and Jones were questioned individu- ally on Nov. 5 and 6, and their statements led to determining the location of the PlayStation 3, though information at this time is unclear. Tracing the stolen PlaySta- tion 3 back to the three suspects became the next step in the investigation. Detectives ended up on the doorsteps of Michael Robertson's home in Ypsilanti, where he allegedly behaved eva- sively. His testimony in Friday's pre- liminary hearing was disputed and inconsistent, but from his original statements, police were able to gather that Jones, Jordan and Franklin, who were char- acterized by Robertson as "jit- tery" and "hyper," were all at Robertson's residence multiple times after robberies-gone- wrong. They also discussed the DeWolf murder, as something that "could come back on us." Robertson helped coordinate the sale of the item stolen from DeWolf's fraternity to his long- time friend, Ypsilanti resident Patrick Davis. Police recovered the stolen PlayStation 3 from Davis and verified it as the console from DeWolf's fraternity house. Along with the recovered laptop, these two items will help the pros- ecution build a case connecting Jones and Jordan first to the home invasion incident and sub- sequently to DeWolf's homicide. At their preliminary hear- ing Friday, Jordan and Jones made statements admitting their involvement in the home inva- sion and subsequent death of DeWolf. At this time in the investiga- tion, much evidence remains undisclosed, but the strategies, witnesses and small pieces of evidence divulged at Friday's preliminary hearing will be expounded upon in the upcom- ing trial. Jordan and Jones will remain in custody with no bond. The pretrial hearing is set for Janu- ary 29 at 1:30 p.m. Just a short distance from campus Vegan flare from THE LUNCH ROOM, KOSMO'S KOREAN Bi Bim Bop Eate ne s or MONAHAN'S fish tacos will surely satisfy that craving for food from home. h o p a Art Supplies, gifts for the family S '~ jewelry, toys, legos and more! I. to PlyiioUthRef /7 / - E.KNOSLEY PS CAThEI ES. I L ANN ST. a ~ U - T - L HURON S" - i oWaslwsewAm 4 Hours and?[ TEMARKET: M - F 8am - 7pm SAT 7am - 6p N9am- 6pm HE SHOPS: M - F lam* - 6pm (*9am on D!) AT 9am- 6pm * SUN11am - 5pm 407 N. FIFTH AVENUE, ANN ARBOR . (734) 662-5008 - WWW.KERRYTOWN.COM 4