Friday, February 8, 2013
Department of Health's latest numbers indicate worst of outbreak behind us.
Minnesota's 2013 flu outbreak is definitely on the wane. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported Thursday afternoon that influenza killed 15 more state residents during the week of Jan. 27-Feb. 2--less than half the number of deaths reported the previous week. So far this season, a total of 127 Minnesotans have died of flu-related illness. According to this report from the Star-Tribune, the vast majority of deaths and hospitalizations have occurred among the elderly. Only 108 people were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza during the Jan. 27-Feb. 2 period. Three weeks ago, 476 people were hospitalized. The MDH reported that only one long-term care facility and 19 schools reported outbreaks of influenza during the …
Friday, February 1, 2013
However, new hospitalizations are still going down.
Influenza killed 36 more Minnesotans last week, bringing the total number of state deaths in the current outbreak to 112. But the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) weekly flu update, released Thursday afternoon, also reported that the number of people across the state newly hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza dropped to 135, down from 208 the previous week and a big drop from the 476 hospitalized the week before. A total of 2,367 Minnesotans have have been hospitalized since the current outbreak began. According to a Minneapolis Public Radio report, officials now believe it's safe to say the outbreak is waning. Kris Ehresmann, director of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at MDH, said it's unlikely the state could see a …
Friday, January 25, 2013
Department of Health says there were an additional 15 deaths last week, but the number of people hospitalized with flu-like symptoms has fallen dramatically.
Influenza killed 15 more Minnesotans last week, bringing the total number of state deaths in the current outbreak to 75--more than the total number of state residents killed during the last big outbreak during 2009-10. But the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) weekly flu update, released Thursday afternoon, also contained good news: Only 208 people across the state were newly hospitalized last week with laboratory-confirmed influenza, a big drop from the 476 hospitalized the previous week. Health Department spokesman Doug Schultz told WCCO that it will be another week before officials know for sure where the flu season has peaked in Minnesota. But he added that trends are pointing in that direction. For example, there were only nine …
Friday, January 18, 2013
Free flu and pneumonia shots will be offered from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Minnesota Department of Health releases its latest numbers on this season's flu-related deaths and hospitalizations.
The influenza outbreak of 2012-13 has now killed 60 Minnesotans and hospitalized 1,842, according to information released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Health. The department’s second weekly report on the flu outbreak more than doubles the number of reported deaths in the state; which totaled 27 last week. The total number of deaths is now nearly as high as that of the swine flu outbreak of 2009-10, which killed 67 Minnesotans. The number of flu-related hospitalizations actually exceeds the total of 2009-10. According to a Fox 9 news report, 88 percent of the deaths were patients age 65 or older, making up 53 of the 60 fatal cases this season. There were no deaths in the past week involving patients younger than 24. The …
Thursday, January 17, 2013
The following was found on the City of Richfield's website.
Besides getting vaccinated, there are other steps people can take to avoid spreading or catching influenza: Know when to seek care Most people can fight the flu at home with rest and fluids. If you are in a group at high risk for influenza complications and you develop influenza, you should contact your health care provider early on so that you can be given antiviral medication if needed (it is most effective when started within two days of contracting influenza). It is also just a good idea to check in with your health care provider or doctor in case your situation worsens, etc. Visit the city's website here. Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Looking to get vaccinated?
With the influenza season already in full swing, Richfield's Assumption Catholic Church, 305 E. 77th St., is offering free flu shots from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20. Those 6 months and older are all eligilble to receive a shot. In addition, free pneumonia shots will also be available. According to the event flier, the session is sponsored by Assumption Church-La Misión and the Minnesota Immunization Networking Initiative (MINI): Homeland Health Specialists, Fairview Health Services and St. Mary’s Health Clinics. This activity is made possible by a Grant from the Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative (EHDI) of the Minnesota Department of Health’s office of Minority & Multicultural Health, through an appropriation from the Minnesota …
Thursday, January 10, 2013
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
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 …
Fabuladico
3:25 pm on Saturday, January 19, 2013
The flu doen't just knock on the door and sweep into a person's house like the proverbial thief in the night. It's carried in. I wonder how many of those 60 deaths and 1842 hospitalizations could have been avoided if people who had the flu didn't go out with the bug to go shopping, to movies, to work and so on because somehow they think they're too tough to be beaten down by this bug. For those … more ›