Most of Iowa’s flu deaths have been among elderly people, but younger adults have been among the victims. Some children have been hospitalized.
The number of confirmed Iowa flu deaths this winter is approaching 100, and the ranks of flu-sickened Iowans staying home from school or going to the hospital continue to swell, state health officials reported Friday.
Iowa and much of the rest of the nation are suffering through one of the most severe flu seasons in years. The number of confirmed flu deaths in Iowa this winter now stands at 97, up from 77 a week earlier, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported Friday.
At this point a year ago, Iowa had recorded just 28 flu deaths, less than a third as many as confirmed so far this winter.
The new report said that in the week ending Feb. 2,48 Iowa schools saw at least 10 percent of students absent. That was up from 33 schools a week earlier. In addition, the number of Iowans hospitalized for flu-related complications rose from 143 to 152 at a set of hospitals that report regularly to the health department.
Until now, the winter of 2014-15 had been seen as the most severe flu season in recent memory, Deputy State Epidemiologist Ann Garvey said Friday. “We’ve exceeded that,” she said.
Garvey said outpatient clinics continue to see increasing crowds of flu patients, indicating the outbreak has not peaked. She said it could take a few more weeks before flu infections start to ebb.
The actual death toll is probably higher, because it can take a few weeks after a death for the cause to be confirmed and reported. By the end of last flu season, which was relatively mild, Iowa recorded a total of 135 deaths from the viruses.
Most of the Iowans killed by the flu this year have been elderly, with 63 of the 97 victims being older than 80. Just one has been younger than 40, the health department reported. The state hasn’t seen any confirmed flu deaths among children, although some kids have become so sick they’ve needed to be placed on hospital ventilators.
Doctors continue to recommend flu shots for people who haven’t yet been vaccinated. Although this year’s vaccine is not providing as much protection as usual, experts say it still can reduce symptoms in people who become infected with the flu.
The flu can be especially deadly to the elderly, young children and people with chronic health problems, such as diabetes, asthma or heart conditions. Besides promoting vaccinations, experts recommend people cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing; wash their hands often and thoroughly; stay home when they’re ill; and get plenty of rest and fluids.
Doctors recommend seeking medical attention if flu patients are having trouble breathing, if they’re hard to wake up or if they have high fevers. Fevers that fall then recur can be a particular sign of trouble, because they could indicate a person has been infected with a secondary bug, such as a dangerous bacteria.
Garvey said many of the precautions against flu also can protect people against other diseases, including norovirus, a stomach bug that has been breaking out around the state recently.
