H1N1 more severe among blacks and Hispanics than whites in Boston

From BPHC

The Boston Public Health Commission has posted findings from a study of swine-flu cases in Boston over the past year. One key finding: Hispanics required hospitalization for H1N1 more than four times as often as whites; black three times as often. Almost half the blacks requiring a hospital stay had asthma, which the commission says underscores the need for particularly active vaccination programs for people with certain other existing health issues (UPDATE: Sharp-eyed, statistics-minded SwirlyGrrl notes in the comments the problem seems to be among minority children, not adults).

Also, North Dorchester was the only area to get hit hard during spring and autumn waves of the infection - other neighborhoods tends to be hard hit during one or the other season. To date, 7 Bostonians have died from H1N1

City statistics show dramatically higher emergency-room visits than in past years, peaking around early June and early November, but the commission says H1N1 is still around and people should still get vaccinated - especially if they're in a high-risk group.