Seven more people in Dallas County have died from the flu, and North Texas may not have seen the worst of the deadly season yet, health officials said Tuesday. Dallas County Health and Human Services officials said it is too early to know if local cases have peaked or if they’re still on the rise. Flu cases typically peak between December and March. In total, 18 Dallas County deaths have been attributed to the flu since Oct. 1.
Already, that’s more than the 17 flu-related deaths reported in the entire 2016-17 season, health officials said. The worst season in recent years occurred in 2013-14, when 58 deaths were recorded in Dallas County — 55 adults and three children.
The high number of flu cases this season has closed schools and forced hospitals to re-route some patients.
The new deaths, announced Tuesday by the health department, included six people from Dallas and one from Garland. They ranged from 47 to 88 years old, and all had previously diagnosed health issues that contributed to their deaths, officials said.The county’s youngest victim so far this season was 37-year-old Nita Negrete of Oak Cliff. “Older adults, individuals with chronic health conditions, pregnant women, young children and infants are more vulnerable to flu illness,” said Dr. Christopher Perkins, DCHHS medical director. “With influenza activity on the rise, individuals in these groups should take special precaution as we continue throughout the season.”
In surrounding counties, no flu-related deaths have been reported, but cases are on the rise.Russ Jones, chief epidemiologist for Tarrant County Public Health, said that although no deaths have been reported in that county yet, that’s likely to change.”We’ll learn about [adult deaths] from hospitals that call us up, or a physician’s office may call us up, or long-term care facilities,” Jones said. “But that’s not systematic, it’s not required, so anything we get is a gross underestimate of the number of deaths that are occurring.”
Twelve long-term care facilities in Tarrant County have had outbreaks of the flu, Jones said.
“If you have friends or loved ones in a nursing home, make sure you are well before you go visit them,” he said.It’s not just Dallas-Fort Worth suffering through a severe flu outbreak. The flu has been widespread throughout the state, said Lara Anton, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services.Texas tracks adult flu deaths as a combined statistic with pneumonia deaths. So far this season, there have been 1,155 combined flu and pneumonia deaths and one flu-related pediatric death in the state.For those who have yet to get a flu shot, it’s not too late, Anton said.The recommended time to get a shot is in September or October, but Anton said the vaccine is still the best protection against the flu at this point, although there’s no data yet on its effectiveness.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said flu-related reports have increased sharply around the country this season, and flu-related deaths are up worldwide.
Do your part to prevent spreading the flu:
- Get a flu shot.
- Cover your cough with a tissue or your sleeve.
- Don’t go to work sick and don’t drop off a sick child at a child-care facility or school, where infections can spread quickly.
- Wash your hands often and keep your hands away from your face.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-county/2018/01/09/dallas-county-flu-fatalities-jump-11-18-four-days