Swine Flu Kills Waterbury Boy

Student had not been in school all year

The swine flu had killed a kindergarten-aged boy from Waterbury. He is the second person in Connecticut to die from the illness.

State officials are not releasing the boy's age and name but said he had other health issues and didn’t attend school. A teacher came to his home, and that is sparking new concerns for some parents.

“Probably now that he’s a carrier too, he or she, whoever the teacher might be. I’d be curious to find out and I’d be nervous about sending my kids to the school after that,” said Ann Bartolini, whose children attend Waterbury schools.

The school board said the victim had other medical conditions that kept him from going to school, so he was assigned a teacher from the Gilmart School, which is currently housed at Saint Margaret's on Williow Street.

Officials said the teacher was informed and that there are steps in place to keep students healthy.

“Especially the younger students, pre-K, K, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade. We’re asking that the teachers take the students out of the classroom, physically walk them to the bathroom and wash their hands,” Roseann Wright, director of the Department of Public Health, said.

The only two deaths from the swine flu in Connecticut were both in Waterbury. On June 2, a woman, who also had other health issues, died.

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