Flu Activity Increasing Across Pierce County: Report

TACOMA, WA - While national news headlines have focused on Washington's measles outbreak for the past several weeks, cases of influenza across the state have steadily increased. In its update releases Tuesday the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department revealed the latest numbers, and they don't look great.

Since Sept. 22, 2018, health officials have received 176 notifications of influenza-related hospitalizations and six notifications of influenza-related deaths; that's 135 new, unique hospital visits and three more deaths since Jan. 8, when the health department reported a comparatively lower number of just 41 hospitalizations and three deaths in Pierce County since September.

Statewide, 31 patients have died from influenza-like illnesses (ILI), including one child.

Despite the state's localized increases, the health department said the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted Washington's influenza activity as low relative to the rest of the country — specifically the midwest and southeastern U.S.

The median age for hospitalized patients in Washington is 57 years old, with the largest proportion of new emergency and urgent care patients between 25 and 49 years, officials said. The age range for all documented patients with ILI appears to be between 2 months and 91 years.

For more information on the health department's Feb. 12 update, as well as info on how to prevent ILIs or where to get flu shots, visit tpchd.org.

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