Flu-like illness kills Minnesota father, son
The victims' wife and mother is in intensive care in a Duluth hospital. A state health official said the men had Type B strain.
By SARAH LEMAGIE and MAURA LERNER, Star Tribune
A father and his adult son from north-central Minnesota died this week from complications of an "influenza-like illness," health officials said Thursday.
The Minnesota Health Department announced that two people had died, but provided no details. But Itasca County coroner Dr. Michael Baich confirmed information from a family friend that the victims were Danny Adams Sr., 64, of Dora Lake, in the Chippewa National Forest northwest of Grand Rapids, Minn., and his son, Danny (Barney) Adams Jr., 45, of nearby Spring Lake.
Saliva samples indicated that both men, who were otherwise healthy, had the Type B strain of influenza, Baich said.
However, he cautioned that health officials "are not certain that the flu was the cause of death; they may have died of a secondary condition such as a staph infection."
Dr. Roberta Zimmerman, a Grand Rapids pathologist, will conduct the younger Adams' autopsy this week, Baich said.
An autopsy on Danny Adams Sr. is pending and may take place in St. Louis County, he said.
Meanwhile, the victims' wife and mother, LaDonna Adams, 62, was in intensive care in a Duluth hospital late Thursday, Baich said. He did not have further information on her condition.
The Adamses will be much missed in their small rural communities, said Jim Smith of Dora Lake, who knew both men well.
Dan Adams Sr. was the longtime pastor of Good News Bible Church in Dora Lake, while his son, the "most liked guy in town," owned Barney's on the Bowstring Resort in Spring Lake, Smith said.
The younger Adams died Sunday afternoon at Bigfork Valley Hospital, according to an obituary on the website of the Grand Rapids Herald Review. His funeral will be held at 2 p.m. today in Dora Lake. His father died Wednesday at a Duluth hospital; funeral arrangements for him are pending.
State health officials said they took the unusual step of publicizing the deaths despite an incomplete investigation because word was spreading and causing concern in the family's community.
Some Dora Lake residents are worried about catching the illness that killed the pair, Smith said. Dan Adams Sr. appeared weak and had a sore throat when he last preached in church, Smith added, but took care not to shake hands with anyone after the service.
"Something like this, you don't know where it's going to pop up," Smith said.
State epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield said, "This is a devastating situation for this family.
"We should keep in mind that influenza can be a serious, potentially fatal health threat," Lynfield said. "Influenza is highly contagious, so it can spread easily within families."
Asked about community fears, Baich said, "There is no reason to panic," stressing that flu deaths in otherwise healthy individuals are extremely rare. Family members and medical workers who came in contact with the Adamses are being closely monitored for symptoms, he said.
Baich said it was not known if the Adamses had been vaccinated for the flu, but even if they were, the vaccine does not protect people against Type B.
Buddy Ferguson, a spokesman for the state Health Department, noted that several hundred Minnesotans die of complications of the flu every year. Many are elderly or have other underlying conditions, such as asthma, that make them especially vulnerable.
The department also has reported that two girls, ages 5 and 12, have died of complications from the flu this year.
The Health Department's website, www.mdhflu.com, has information about flu, including how to find flu shot clinics.
Staff writers Pamela Miller and Paul Walsh contributed to this report.
slemagie@startribune.com • 612-673-7557 mlerner@startribune.com • 612-673-7384
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