No one is sure why flu-related deaths can be higher during seasons of low flu activity, but the statistical contrast has led to conversations among physicians at Carmichael, Calif.-based Mercy San Juan Medical Center, said Nichole Braxley, MD, the medical director for the emergency room.
Overall, Dr. Braxley said, she’s not seeing as many people entering the ER with flu-related symptoms as she did the previous year.
“By Jan. 16, 2018, we’d had like 156 flu admissions and on Jan. 16 one year later we had 37. It was a third to a quarter of the admissions due to flu. This is a relatively mild season. The strain in the vaccine seems to be much more effective. This year, there is just a higher percentage of deaths,” Dr. Braxley said.
The flu death toll rose to 207 in California during the week ending Feb. 9, according to the latest report from the state Department of Public Health. The number of flu-related deaths stood at 185 during the same period a year ago.
Last flu season’s death toll did not rise to 207 until the week ending Feb. 24. However, there have been more flu outbreaks so far this season, 38 versus 29 a year ago.
The 2017-2018 flu season was considered one of the worst. An estimated 80,000 people died and 900,000 people were hospitalized from flu-related complications.
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