4 Flu Deaths As Virus Spreads In Maryland In 'Unusual' Season

MARYLAND — Flu has spread across Maryland in recent weeks with two adult deaths blamed on the illness in the week that ended Dec. 7, the most recent week in which data was released by the Maryland Department of Health. A total of four adults have died from the flu in the state this season; no pediatric deaths have been reported.

The flu season is off to an "unusual" start and government health officials say it has already been blamed for over a thousand deaths nationwide, including 10 children. There's a high chance activity will peak in late December, though the worst could come any time between the end of the year and February, according to flu season forecasts.

During the week of Dec. 1-7, state officials said 36 people were hospitalized with flu symptoms in Maryland, nine of which were pediatric cases. Since the start of the fall flu season, 176 people have been admitted to Maryland hospitals because of the virus.

So far this flu season, 1,638 cases have been confirmed in Maryland; 649 of those cases were recorded just in the first week of December. State health officials say influenza B is the most predominate strain going around, accounting for 70 percent of all positive tests. Fifty-six
percent of influenza positive specimens confirmed positive at MDH were influenza
B/Victoria.

So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says most illnesses are the result of the influenza B/Victoria viruses, which the agency said is unusual for this time of the year. The next most common virus in circulation is the A/H1N1 and it's increasing in proportion relative to other viruses in some regions.

The latest data from the agency — current as of the week ending Dec. 6 — shows that the virus is moderate in 11 states, including Maryland, and widespread.

The geographic spread of flu activity does not measure the severity of the virus.

To see where flu is widespread https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/ (scroll to bottom).

Influenza-like-illness activity map with links to state health departments for more info https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/fluview/main.html.

The flu can cause serious illness, hospitalization and death. The groups most at risk are older adults, very young children, pregnant women and those with certain chronic medical conditions, according to the CDC.

You can use the CDC's flu vaccine finder to locate a pharmacy or clinic near you that provides the vaccine:

According to the CDC, symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever or feeling feverish/chills (though not everyone with flu will have a fever)
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.

It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to provide protection against the flu. You can find more information about the flu vaccine and its benefits here.