The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department recently announced that a county resident in her 20s died in early January due to complications from influenza. This is the first influenza-related death reported in the county this season.
Department representative Susan Klein-Rothschild told the Sun that hospitals are required to report to the public health department deaths from—and hospitalizations related to—certain diseases if the person involved is younger than 64.
“It has to do with the surveillance of communicable diseases,” Klein-Rothschild said. “I think there are something like 70 of them [on the list].”
According to the Public Health Department, the woman who died hadn’t received a flu shot this season. The flu is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older be immunized.
Klein-Rothschild said the county is still waiting for a copy of the woman’s death certificate to learn more details about her death.
According to information from the department, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized due to the flu every year, including 20,000 children younger than 5.
“Influenza viruses are spread when a person who has influenza coughs, sneezes, or touches a surface handled by others,” the press release said. “Unlike many other viral respiratory infections, such as the common cold, the flu can cause severe illness and life-threatening complications in many people.”
Department officials recommend county residents get flu shots from their health-care providers, or from a local pharmacy or clinic.
For more information about flu vaccines, visit www.flu.gov/prevention-vaccination/vaccination/.
This article appears in Jan 16-23, 2014.