Second death at Taycheedah prison ruled as pneumonia after flu outbreak, medical examiner reports
The cause of death for a second woman at Taycheedah Correctional Institution has been ruled as probable bacterial pneumonia, according to a medical examiner's determination.
Brittany Doescher, 33, died on March 6 after being transported to a local area hospital less than two weeks prior.
At the time of her death, Doescher was experiencing an "Influenza A superinfection," Fond du Lac Chief Medical Examiner Adam Covach told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"She was hit with two communicable diseases simultaneously, and one of them was a bacteria well known for causing really, really bad infections, regardless of where it sets up shop," Covach said in an email.
The Journal Sentinel previously reported another prisoner, Shawnee Reed, 36, had also tested positive for Influenza A after being transported to a nearby hospital on Feb. 22, the same day as Doescher. Roughly five hours after being treated for septic shock, Reed died in the early hours of Feb. 23.
Around the time Doescher and Reed were admitted to the hospital, Taycheedah was experiencing an outbreak of respiratory illnesses, according to the state Department of Corrections.
Experts have routinely noted that congregate facilities, like prisons, can accelerate the spread of respiratory illnesses, particularly when there is overcrowding. Around the time of the two women's deaths, state data showed Taycheedah's population at 934 prisoners. The prison was designed for a capacity of 653.
The Department of Corrections previously declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding the deaths at Taycheedah, citing medical privacy laws.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Second death at Taycheedah prison ruled as pneumonia after flu outbreak
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