3 Children Dead From Flu In Ohio, Hospitalizations Increasing

CLEVELAND, OH — There have been three pediatric deaths because of flu this season, the Ohio Department of Health said. Last week alone there were 1,260 hospitalizations related to flu. That means there have now been 8,611 total hospitalizations because of the flu since October.

During Ohio's last flu season, there were 8,611 hospitalizations through from October through May, the ODH's official flue season stretch. There were seven pediatric deaths during the last flu season, a spokesperson for the department told Patch.

The first pediatric death this season came in mid-January when a 4-year-old Montgomery County boy passed away. The Ohio Department of Health does not track adult deaths related to the flu.

Still, flu is still widespread across the United States, where it’s blamed for thousands of hospitalizations and at least 53 pediatric deaths. Flu activity continued to intensify last week, reaching its highest level in almost a decade, according to the latest data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The hospitalization rate per 100,000 people was 51.4 and so far, the CDC reports that a total of 14,676 hospitalizations have been reported for the 2017-18 flu season. The most frequently identified flu virus subtype reported by public health laboratories was influenza A(H3), a particularly aggressive and highly contagious strain.

One of every 14 visits to the doctors and clinics were for symptoms of the flu. That’s the highest level since the swine flu pandemic in 2009.

According to the CDC, the flu is widespread in 48 states while two states — Oregon and Hawaii — do not have widespread flu activity.

“Flu is difficult to predict,” said ODH Medical Director Dr. Clint Koenig in a statement in January. “It’s not possible to say precisely when this flu season will peak or end or how severe it will be. That’s why getting the flu vaccination is the safest and most effective way to prevent the flu for everyone 6 months and older. Flu vaccination also can reduce the severity of illness if you do get sick.”

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.

In this Aug. 27, 2010 file photo, nurse practitioner Susan Brown prepares a flu vaccination for a customer, in Rockville, Md. The service sector grew at a faster pace in October than the previous month, the 10th straight month of growth. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, file)