Oregon Influenza 2017-18; 5 fatalities including 2 children

[JimO]

Gresham mom, 36, gets flu; days later she dies


Tandy Harmon was vibrant, cheerful and healthy. At 36, the Gresham mom was rarely sick.

But 10 days ago, she started feeling ill. It was a Sunday. The next day, she stayed home from her job as a bartender at Bradford's Sports Lounge in Southeast Portland.

She figured it was the flu, said her boyfriend, Steven Lundin.

By that Wednesday, she ended up in intensive care at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in North Portland, diagnosed with the flu, pneumonia and a staph infection, Lundin said.

Two days later, the single mother of two, died, leaving family and friends reeling.

"That's all it took was a couple of days," Lundin said. "I can't believe it."...

[Ronan Kelly]

SECOND FLU-RELATED DEATH CONFIRMED IN LANE COUNTY

A spokesperson for the Lane County Health Department has confirmed that another person has died from complications of the flu.

Posted: Jan. 18, 2018 5:23 PM
Updated: Jan. 18, 2018 5:52 PM
Posted By: Monica Hernandez
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- Another person has died in Lane County from complications of the flu, according to the health department.

Jason Davis with the Lane County Health Department told KEZI 9 News that a 36-year-old Springfield woman died of the flu.

This is the second flu-related death in Lane County this flu season.
...

http://www.kezi.com/content/news/Second-flu-related-death-confirmed-in-Lane-County-470035293.html

[JimO]

Flu death confirmed in Lane County; public health staff tracking several outbreaks

EUGENE, Ore. - A resident of an assisted living facility has died from the flu in Lane County, public health officials confirm.

Jason Davis with Lane County Public Health said there has been one death at an assisted living facility, where public health officials are tracking an outbreak of the flu. He said the victim was an older individual.

Davis said it can be difficult for public health officials to track flu deaths unless they are part of a known outbreak.

The county is also examining a high school reporting a 14 percent absentee rate for illness, although the flu has not been confirmed as the cause.

By comparison to last year, Davis said the county saw outbreaks numbering the double digits. In January 2017, 11 people died from the flu in 11 days in Lane County.

State officials have said two children - one under 5, the other under 10 - have died from the flu so far this season in Oregon.

[Ronan Kelly]

2 Children Die of Flu in Oregon
Two children have died from the flu in Oregon.
Jan. 11, 2018, at 6:42 p.m.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) ? Two children have died from the flu in Oregon, both younger than 10.

Oregon Health Authority spokesman Jonathan Modie says one child died in December and the other in early January. One was younger than 5.
...

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/oregon/articles/2018-01-11/child-under-age-of-5-dies-of-flu-in-oregon

[Ronan Kelly]

Severe flu season hits Oregon, killing 1 child
Updated 3:05 PM; Posted 2:29 PM

By Lynne Terry lterry@oregonian.com
The Oregonian/OregonLive

UPDATED AT 12 P.M.

An Oregon child died earlier this month from the flu, which is raging across the state.

Public health authorities have not released information about the case, which has not yet been posted on the state's weekly flu roundup. Dr. Ann Thomas, a state public health physician, told The Oregonian/OregonLive the child was younger than 5. She provided no more details. One pediatric death from the flu is not unusual in Oregon though there were none last year.
...
http://www.oregonlive.com/health/ind..._flu_in_o.html