Health Officials Confirm Flu Death In Southwest Utah
Jan 7, 2020, 1:16 PM | Updated: 5:16 pm
Two of the 11 pediatric flu-related deaths nationwide have been reported in Utah.
ST. GEORGE, Utah – An adult under the age of 65 who was infected with the flu has died, according to officials with the Southwest Utah Public Health Department.
Officials confirmed the influenza-related death in southwestern Utah on Tuesday.
“We have had 36 people hospitalized from the flu this season,” said SWUPHD epidemiologist Kassidy Peterson. “Their ages range from infants to the elderly. It’s not too late to get vaccinated and we urge everyone to do so, especially those whose age or health condition makes them more vulnerable.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said while it’s impossible to predict how the flu will play out, the season so far is on track to be as severe as the 2017-2018 flu season, which was the deadliest in more than four decades, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So far this flu season, at least 2,900 people in the US are estimated to have died of the flu, according to data released Friday by the CDC. That’s 800 more deaths than estimated the previous week.
Health experts said the best way to prevent seasonal influenza is to get vaccinated every year.
