New Mexico reporting one 2 years old girl, and one 15 years old boy, died due to flu. Since October 2012, 89 people have died from flu related complications.
Fresno, California, reporting high incidence of flu cases: “We’re still seeing a lot of calls, a lot of visits, a lot of emergency room visits.”-Dee Lacy, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center-Fresno
In Texas, druggists say it looks like the latest influenza is getting out-o-town quick: “It is considerably down from a couple of weeks ago. We were dispensing 25 to 30 prescriptions of Tamiflu a day about a month ago. We’re down to a couple a day.”-Louis Morgan, Shawn Sams pharmacy
However, officials with Texas Department of Health Services says flu cases are still up: “Statewide, we’re still seeing a high level of flu activity, though the proportion of people showing up at the doctor for flu-like illness is less than it was in the final week of 2012, according to the providers who report that information to us.”-Chris Van Deusen
Indiana reporting 56 deaths since the flu season officially began in December 2012: “Tragically, we are continuing to lose lives due to flu-related illnesses in the state. We still have months left in this flu season.”-William VanNess, Health Commissioner
Two South Carolina prisons report flu outbreaks. A maximum security men’s prison, and a minimum security women’s prison have been put in lock down as a result.
South Dakota reporting the deadliest flu season in the past eight years. 30 people have died.
Nebraska reporting at least 12 deaths.
Oklahoma reporting 25 deaths, two in the past week.
Idaho State Department of Health and Welfare reporting at least 23 people have died. 21 were more than 50 years of age, the others were children. The number of people who’ve died this flu season is approaching the high set ten years ago.
Washington reporting more than 40 flu deaths. 38 have been confirmed as flu caused: “People shouldn’t confuse flu season peaking with flu season ending. There are a lot of people still getting sick. And there will be a lot more flu illnesses occurring in the community over the next six to eight weeks.”-Jeff Duchin, Public Health Seattle & King County
The new flu that’s taking down dogs (Canine Influenza/H3N8) has hit the state of Oregon. Several dogs in a Salem shelter are sick, the shelter even shut down for one day. Its now identified in 22 U.S. states. As I’ve reported before: “Canine Influenza is a very rare and unusual disease that’s new to dogs. It’s only been since 2005, 2006 that there’s been any cases known in the United States.”-Joan Towers, Willamette Humane Society
Influenza is making the rounds globally; in United Kingdom deaths are being reported (at least 18 in Scotland), as in India (from swine flu).
Indian health officials report new versions of H1N1 (aka swine flu), H3N2 and flu B.
Cases of H5N1 (aka bird flu) are popping up in Egypt, Cambodia and China. So far for Gregorian year 2013 there are ten confirmed human cases, eight of those infected died. That’s an 80% kill rate for this year’s H5N1 bird flu.
Bird flu does not spread easily to humans, but when it does it’s usually deadly. This years bird flu strain has the Philippine Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Health, on alert. They’re even warning about another version of bird flu, H7N3.
H7N3 hit Mexico hard in 2012. By January 2013, 20 million chickens were killed (by the virus or by culling), and at least 66 million were vaccinated. Interestingly officials declared the outbreak over in October 2012, but cases are still being reported (the most recent involves an outbreak at seven farms just this past week).
On 17 February 2013, a farm in Germany (east of Berlin) had to cull 14,000 ducks after lab tests showed they were infected with the H5N1 version of bird flu.