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Carly Christenson

Thursday, January 10, 2013

UPDATE: Flu Rates Skyrocket in Minnesota; 27 Deaths Now Reported

More than 1,100 hospitalized; Minnesota Department of Health urges precautions.

This flu season is proving brutal in Minnesota, with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) now reporting 27 deaths in the state, including 23 that officials have been able to confirm as flu-related since Dec. 30. That number jumps drastically from the just five flu-related deaths that were confirmed Wednesday. Since the start of the influenza season, 1,121 people have been hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza, according to the MDH reports for the 2012–2013 season. That number includes 401 hospitalizations for the week ending Jan. 5. MDH officials say the number of those hospitalized throughout the state rivals those seen during the 2009 swine flu pandemic, but that there is no evidence that the current wave of illnesses is …

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Fifth Flu-Related Death Confirmed By Minnesota Department of Health

A 14-year-old St. Louis Park girl passed away Tuesday at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. Richfield Patch reminds readers of local clinics offering vaccinations.

Minnesota is in the midst of a major surge of flu cases and, unfortunately, a handful of them have proved fatal. Carly Christenson, a 14-year-old St. Louis Park teen who became stricken with Influenza A on Christmas Eve, died Tuesday after the two-week long battle. She was the fifth person to die from flu-related complications in Minnesota this flu season. Since the start of the flu season this year, nearly 600 people have been hospitalized for laboratory-confirmed flu, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Minnesota Public Radio recently reported on the uptick in hospitalizations, quoting state epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield as saying: "It certainly is a very vigorous influenza year." While most of the people hospitalized …

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