H1N1 virus claims the life of a U of C professor
Posted Feb 17, 2013 7:51 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A sad reminder that a killer strain of the flu is still out there, with the death of an award-winning University of Calgary professor.
Margo Husby-Scheelar died in hospital on Wednesday after battling the H1N1 virus for nearly a month.
Her death is the first from the killer strain in Calgary since the pandemic in 2009 and has sparked a warning from health officials.
Her former husband says the 64-year-old was otherwise a healthy person but Ken Scheeler tells the Calgary Sun, Margo came down with the illness very suddenly.
He says she had she thought was a severe flu but suffered from it for several days before their daughter finally got her to call 9-1-1.
The Alberta Health Services Medical Officer of Health for Calgary says H1N1 is one of three flu strains they’re seeing this year, including H3N2 and Influenza B.
Dr. Judy MacDonald recommends being vaccinated, especially for those with underlying health concerns.
According to AHS numbers there have been 15 cases of H1N1 in Calgary since the flu season began in September.
Meanwhile, a public memorial is being planned for Husby-Scheelar on the U of C campus in the coming weeks.
