Community Corner

UPDATE: 18 Flu Deaths Confirmed in Bay Area

2 new cases hospitalized in Napa Valley at St. Helena Hospital.

UPDATE: Jan. 14, 2014

By BAY CITY NEWS SERVICE AND PATCH STAFF

On Tuesday the death total from the recent flu outbreak increased to 18, officials reported.

Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There was one death reported in Solano County Tuesday after a Vallejo man in his 40s was infected with the H1N1 strain.

 His was the first flu death of the season in that county. The man had chronic medical conditions before he fell ill, county health officials said.

Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A third flu-related death was reported Tuesday in San Mateo County. The second was reported Monday, county health system spokeswoman Robyn Thaw
said.    

Two of the three patients that died had underlying medical conditions and at least two of the cases were H1N1, according to health officials.

In Sonoma County, a 54-year-old died in the county's second flu-related death. A 23-year-old had died from the flu earlier this season. In additional to those fatalities, there have been four deaths in Santa Clara County, three in Alameda County and two in Marin County. There has been one death each in Contra Costa, Santa Cruz and San Francisco counties.
           
H1N1, which evolved from the swine flu of 2009,  is known to be more dangerous to young and middle-age adults than other strains of the flu.
           
Health officials are urging everyone ages 6 months and older to get vaccinated.
           
The peak of flu season is between January and March, and the vaccine takes about two weeks after inoculation to be fully effective, according to health officials.

Click here to find a place to get a flu shot.

Click here for CDC flu symptoms and guidelines.


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