The California Department of Public Health is reporting its first death in a person under age 65 for the 2015-2016 flu season. The death occurred in Santa Clara County. (San Diego County says a 90-year-old died from complications of influenza A on October 28th).
Each year, health officials say the flu causes millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands or sometimes tens of thousands of deaths in the United States. To reduce this threat, health officials recommend the annual flu vaccine for everyone six months of age and older, including pregnant women.
Flu can cause severe disease across all ages. According to the California influenza surveillance report recently published, there were 78 influenza-associated deaths reported in persons under 65 years of age in California during the 2014-15 influenza season. Only deaths in persons under age 65 are reported to CDPH and many influenza associated deaths are unrecognized. Therefore, the actual number of deaths due to influenza was much greater.
Common symptoms of the flu include fever or feeling feverish, a cough and/or sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, chills, fatigue and body aches. Children may also have nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
To stop the spread of flu and other respiratory illnesses, everyone should also:
• Stay home when sick
• Cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue and properly dispose of the used tissue
• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
So far, no flu-related deaths have been reported in Washoe County.
