46 Flu Deaths Recorded In One Week In San Diego County

SAN DIEGO, CA -- In just one week, 46 people have died from the flu in San Diego County, health officials said Tuesday. The number of flu deaths have now increased to 91 as the state endures a devastating flu season.

A total of 2,992 flu cases were reported last week, compared to 3,354 the previous week, health officials said.

“Declaring a local health emergency is a public health tool that we believe should be used judiciously when local resources are exhausted,” said Nick Yphantides, the county chief medical officer. “It is very important to note that the CDC and the state have not declared an emergency, at present, as resources have not been exhausted.”

The Board of Supervisors considered last week to declare a state of emergency but did not take action.

For the week ending Jan. 6, the Health and Human Services Agency reported the following:

• Emergency department visits for influenza-like illness: 11 percent of all visits (compared to 13 percent the previous week)
• Lab-confirmed influenza cases for the week: 2,992 (compared to 3,354 the previous week)
• Total influenza deaths to date: 91 (compared to 8 last season)
• Total lab-confirmed cases to date: 10,324 (compared to 1,352 last season)

Health officials urged the public to get the flu shot as the hospitals throughout the state saw an abundance of patients who caught the flu.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated. The vaccine is safe and effective. It takes two weeks for immunity to develop, health officials said.

The flu vaccine is available at doctors’ offices and retail pharmacies. If you don’t have medical insurance, you can go to a county public health center to get vaccinated. For a list of locations, go to www.sdiz.org.

Also Watch: Medical Experts Worried About This Flu Season

--Photo via Shutterstock