Amid Spike in Cases, OC Sees First Flu Death of the Year

A 50-year-old man who lived in Westminster has died of the flu, the first flu-related death of a person under 65 in Orange County this flu season, health authorities announced today.

“This is a sad and somber reminder of the serious threat posed by influenza,” said Dr. Eric Handler, Orange County’s health officer. “It is important for everyone to continue practicing good respiratory and hand hygiene to limit the transmission of influenza germs from person to person, and to get vaccinated.”

The man who died was infected with influenza B virus, according to an Orange County Health Care Agency statement.

The county has seen an increase in the number of cases of both influenza A and influenza B in recent weeks, and eight people under the age of 65 have been hospitalized in intensive care with severe influenza, the statement said.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock

*Correction: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of the this story misstated the age of the man killed by the flu.