2 flu deaths lift state toll to 219; fewer counties report cases

Two more flu-related deaths were reported in Arkansas in the past week, raising the state's death toll from the current season to 219, the state Department of Health reported Tuesday.

For the second week in a row, the Health Department also reported an uptick in the percentage of doctor's office patients with flu-like symptoms.

During the week that ended Saturday, 1.5 percent of patients visiting the doctor had such symptoms, up from 1.4 percent a week earlier, according to the department.

But the department also said that positive flu tests were reported that week in only 20 counties, down from 33 a week earlier.

The department downgraded its description of the geographic spread of the flu in the state from "local" to "sporadic."

Meanwhile, about 1 percent of emergency room patients had flu-like symptoms both last week and a week earlier.

Jennifer Dillaha, medical director for the Health Department's immunization program, said the information on doctor's office visits is based on reports from only some participating doctors and will likely change as more reports come in.

"I would not say the flu season is over, but it's clearly winding down," Dillaha said. "I think in the near future we'll say the flu season is over."

In February, the death toll from the current season surpassed the 110 people who died in the 2014-15 season, which had been the state's deadliest since the Health Department began tracking flu deaths in 2000.

The two most recent deaths were both people age 65 or older.

Of the other people who have died, five were children or teenagers under age 19, 14 were age 25-44, 35 were age 45-64 and 163 were 65 or older.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu activity nationally peaked in early February and fell below the typical off-season level earlier this month.

During the second week of April, Arkansas was among 41 states that reported having minimal flu activity. The level was reported as low or moderate in eight states and high only in Arizona.

Dillaha said people who haven't gotten the flu shot should still get one if they have health conditions, such as heart disease or asthma, putting them at high risk of developing complications from the flu.

People planning to travel to the Southern Hemisphere, where the flu circulates at elevated levels from April through September, or going on a cruise with people from that part of the world should also get the shot, she said.

Of the Arkansans who have died from the flu during this season, at least 45 had been vaccinated and 89 had not, Health Department spokesman Meg Mirivel said. Whether any of the others had been vaccinated hadn't been determined.

Metro on 04/25/2018

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