Flu season hitting Ga. children, seniors extra hard this year

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/the...ason/385543388

Flu season hitting Ga. children, seniors extra hard this year
The Georgia Department of Public Health says the state is in a category ten, the most serious level for the current flu season.
Yvonne Thomas, WMAZ 6:41 PM. EST January 12, 2017

The Georgia Department of Public Health says the state is in a category ten -- the most serious level for the current flu season. At this time last year, Georgia was at a category four. That's on a scale of 1 to 10.

District epidemiologist Amber Erickson say the 2016-2017 flu season is the worst flu season Georgia's had in two years. ?Our season is peaking and we expect it to continue to increase through the month of January,? said Erickson. ?The strain that is going around currently is the H3N2 virus. It's a type A strain.?..

...According to the Georgia Department of Public Health website, in the last flu season 33 people were hospitalized by the end of December 2015. This season, that number more than tripled. One hundred and eight people were hospitalized by the end of December 2016. ?It is significantly higher than seasons past,? said Erickson.

So far one person has died from a flu in Georgia this season...

[Ronan Kelly]

Flu cases widespread in Georgia
Dougherty County flu death fourth reported in state
By Andy Miller

amiller@georgiahealthnews.com

Feb 19, 2017 Updated 15 hrs ago (1)
ATLANTA ? State health officials report that flu cases remain widespread in Georgia.

The Department of Public Health said that through the week of Jan. 29 through Feb. 4, there had been 376 hospitalizations in metro Atlanta due to influenza so far this season. That?s up from 61 at the same time a year ago.

The state reported last Friday that it had two confirmed flu-associated deaths this season, the same number as the same period a year ago.

But the Dougherty County coroner said last weekend that there had been another flu-related death. The victim was Laura Youman, 73, a resident of a nursing home there, The Albany Herald reported.

Late Tuesday, Public Health told GHN that the total of flu-associated deaths in Georgia has reached four.
...

http://www.albanyherald.com/news/local/flu-cases-widespread-in-georgia/article_fb10b056-e956-5a65-adc6-5a3f3513ca3a.html

[Ronan Kelly]

Georgia editorial roundup

The Associated Press


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March 1

The Rome News-Tribune on the rising number of flu cases in Georgia:

Influenza is on the rise in Georgia and across the country. It's time to take warning.

The Georgia Department of Public Health in its latest report said there had been nearly 500 hospitalizations due to the flu, four flu-related deaths and one death directly attributed to influenza.
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Read more here: http://www.macon.com/news/article135...#storylink=cpy