LA Man Becomes State's First Under-65 Flu Death this Season

LOS ANGELES, CA -- A middle-aged man from northern Los Angeles County has been confirmed as the state’s first confirmed flu-related death of a person younger than 65 for the 2016-17 flu season.

State health officials confirmed the patient’s death Thursday. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, he had "significant pre- existing medical conditions."

"As this unfortunate case illustrates, the flu can be deadly and causes thousands of fatalities each year in the United States," said State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. "Fortunately, people can get vaccinated to help keep them from getting sick and spreading the flu to others."

There have been 11 flu- related cases in people under 65 that required intensive care hospitalization so far this season in California, according to state health officials. The flu season generally lasts from fall through the spring, and it tends to hit the very young, elderly and people with pre-existing conditions the hardest. State health officials urged flu vaccinations for residents older than six months, including pregnant women.

Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, the county's interim health officer, noted that influenza activity is at a relatively low level in the state, but the death should be a reminder about the potentially fatal consequences of the illness.

"Vaccination is the best method to protect oneself from the flu," he said. "Getting vaccinated against influenza protects both the person who receives the vaccine and also reduces the chance they will become ill and spread the flu to family and friends."

The flu vaccine can reduce the risk of infection by half, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
“Flu is serious, flu is unpredictable, flu often doesn’t get enough respect,” Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said earlier this year.

Flu Facts from the Centers for Disease Control:

• Flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick with flu.
• Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization, including among children and older adults.
• A 2014 study* showed that flu vaccine reduced children’s risk of flu-related pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission by 74% during flu seasons from 2010-2012.
• Another study published in the summer of 2016 showed that people 50 years and older who got a flu vaccine reduced their risk of getting hospitalized from flu by 57%.
• Flu vaccination is an important preventive tool for people with chronic health conditions.
• Vaccination was associated with lower rates of some cardiac events among people with heart disease, especially among those who had had a cardiac event in the past year.
• Flu vaccination also has been shown to be associated with reduced hospitalizations among people with diabetes (79%) and chronic lung disease (52%).
• Vaccination helps protect women during and after pregnancy. Getting vaccinated can also protect a baby after birth from flu. (Mom passes antibodies onto the developing baby during her pregnancy.)
• A study that looked at flu vaccine effectiveness in pregnant women found that vaccination reduced the risk of flu-associated acute respiratory infection by about one half.
• Another study found that babies of women who got a flu vaccine during their pregnancy were about one-third less likely to get sick with flu than babies of unvaccinated women. This protective benefit was observed for up to four months after birth.
• Flu vaccination also may make your illness milder if you do get sick.
• Getting vaccinated yourself also protects people around you, including those who are more vulnerable to serious flu illness, like babies and young children, older people, and people with certain chronic health conditions.

City News Service contributed to this report. Photo credit: William Brawley via Flickr