Contra Costa Health Services announced yesterday that a 48-year-old woman died earlier this week in the county’s first flu death of the season.
According to Katie Fowlie, Communications Officer for Contra Costa Health Services, in Contra Costa County this flu season, there have been 18 reported cases of people under 65 years of age who have been hospitalized in an ICU with the flu. We also received confirmation this week that a 48-year-old woman with underlying health issues who had H1N1 has died in our county.
This comes after a Santa Clara County woman died of complications related to the H1N1 strain last week while there have also been three deaths in Sacramento County.
H1N1 virus is the dominant flu virus this season. The available flu vaccine provides protection from up to four flu strains, including H1N1, and is the most effective way to help prevent the flu.
Fowlie says the flu season varies but it can usually run between January through March so there is still time to get a flu vaccine and the county urges everyone to get vaccinated.
For the 2013-2014 flu season, flu vaccine will provide protection against three or four flu viruses including H1N1 (swine flu). Some children under nine years of age may need two doses of flu vaccine at least one month apart.
Information on where to get vaccinated is available on our website: http://cchealth.org/flu/vaccination.php
