(Cleveland) - Influenza is rapidly spreading across Northeast Ohio. So says Richard Stacklin, a data analyst with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.
Stacklin tells Newsradio WTAM 1100, that two county residents have died of flu-related illnesses so far this season. They are a 52-year old Cleveland man and a 76-year-old Broadview Heights man. There were 47 deaths caused by the flu in Cuyahoga County last season.
Stacklin says there were 97 new confirmed-flu associated hospitalizations for the two weeks ending December 29th, and 383 emergency department flu-related visits last week.
Stacklin explains that they usually see an uptick in flu activity during the Holidays when people are mingling in close quarters.
He says this season it appears that the flu is affecting younger people and not just the elderly.
Stacklin urges everyone to get a flu shot, and maintains it can reduce the risk of suffering from the virus by 40-to-60 percent. The Centers for Disease Control reports there were 80,000 flu related deaths in the U.S. last year.
(Photos by Ken Robinson/WTAM)
© 2019 iHeartMedia, Inc.
Hear news updates at the top and bottom of the hour: wtam.com/listen