For Immediate Release
December 22, 2003

Contact: Pat Markley or Howard Sutter
(714) 834-2178

Orange County Records First Influenza Death

(Santa Ana) –The County’s first influenza-related death has been reported to the Orange County Health Care Agency. The confirmed influenza death occurred with an individual in one of the categories considered at high-risk for complications from influenza.

The Health Care Agency is unable to release more specific information about the deceased patient due to patient confidentiality.

Annually, over 8,000 deaths in California are attributed to flu and pneumonia, and based on a review of death certificate information from recent years, there are approximately 650 influenza and pneumonia deaths in Orange County each year.

The influenza season has started early this year and is having a definite impact on the health care system. Hospitals are seeing an increase in patients with respiratory illnesses and physician offices have also reported an increase in visits for flu like illnesses. Some schools have reported increased absenteeism and there is greater than usual demand for the influenza vaccine. However, we don’t know at this time if this influenza season will turn out to be more severe than other years.

Information about the current influenza season is available at the Web site www.ochealthinfo.com/epi/flu. Information about flu shots for individuals in high risk groups available through the Health Care Agency’s flu shot program, as well as information about community providers that may have flu shots available, is available by calling the County of Orange Health Referral Line at 1-800-564-8448.

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