Georgia Flu Update: 79 Deaths Including 7-Year-Old Girl

ATLANTA, GA — The flu is still sending more Georgians to hospitals this month as the virus' death toll reaches 79 as of Feb. 10, up from 66 deaths the week before. The flu has also taken the lives of at least four Georgia children, most recently a 7-year-old girl from Walton County.

Emily Maddox was one of the nearly 2,000 Georgians who were hospitalized for the flu so far this season. On Thursday, Feb. 15, she lost liver and kidney function before tragically dying from what appeared to be cardiac arrest, Channel 2 reported the Maddox family as saying.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that 19,398 people have been hospitalized so far this season for influenza-associated reasons. Eighty-four pediatric deaths nationwide have been reported.

The most frequently identified flu virus subtype reported by public health laboratories was influenza A(H3), a particularly aggressive and highly contagious strain.

Young kids and senior citizens are most likely to be hospitalized for the flu this year. Of every 100,000 kids, 36 are being hospitalized for the flu, and of every 100,000 seniors, a staggering 298 are hospitalized. By comparison, kids age 5 to 17 are hospitalized for the flu at a rate of eight per 100,000.

This graphic from the CDC shows that as of Feb. 9, we were seeing a much higher hospitalization rate across the United States than the same time in previous seasons, at a rate of 59.9 per 100,000. There is no current graphic, but now, that number stands at 67.9 per 100,000.

In Georgia, 15.8 percent, or about one-in-six, of outpatient visits were due to influenza-like illnesses. This is almost doubled from the first week of January, when under 7 percent of visits were due to the flu.

The flu is widespread in 48 states and Puerto Rico, according to the CDC. Oregon is still experiencing regional flu activity, while Hawaii has been downgraded to local flu activity.

The best protection against the flu is vaccination, and health officials have been stressing that it's not too late to get a flu shot. A CDC spokesperson told Patch that as of Jan. 2, 152.1 million doses of the flu vaccine have been distributed. Private manufacturers who produce the vaccine originally predicted that as many as 166 million doses of injectable flu vaccine would be made available for the current flu season.

Vaccine shortages have been reported in some areas as the flu season drags on. The best way to find pharmacies providing the vaccine is to check at Vaccine Finder. The website reminds people to call and check with a vaccine provider location to ensure that the vaccine is available.

A representative for Vaccine Finder said the website does not offer a tool that shows whether the vaccine is available at a particular pharmacy; thus the warning notification on the website.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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