DPH Announces Delaware Flu Case Likely Related to Contact With Pigs At County Fair in Maryland
The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced today the state’s first laboratory-confirmed case of a variant influenza virus (in this instance H3N2v) in a female Sussex County resident under age 18, who had close contact with pigs at a county fair in Maryland. The case is mild and the individual is recovering.
DPH Announces Potential Young Child Death From Flu
Even as flu season in Delaware is winding down, the Division of Public Health (DPH) is announcing a potential flu-related death to a child under the age of 2. If confirmed, that would bring the total number of flu-related fatalities for the 2016-2017 flu season to 15. The child passed away near the end of April. To protect the privacy of the child and the family no further information about the child will be released.
DPH Announces Three More Flu-Related Deaths; 45-Year-Old Male Had No Known Underlying Health Conditions
The Division of Public Health (DPH) is announcing three more flu-related fatalities for the 2016-2017 flu season. The three recent deaths push flu-related fatalities in Delaware to 14 – more than doubling the 2015-2016 death total of six. Of the 14 Delawareans who have died from the flu this season, 13 had other serious underlying health conditions. However, the most recent flu-related death involved a 45-year-old Kent County man who had no known significant underlying medical conditions beyond being ill with the flu. DPH was not able to verify his vaccination status.
Flu Claims Three More Lives In Delaware, Bringing 2016-2017 Total To Eight
The total number of lab-confirmed influenza cases continues to increase in Delaware and the virus has now claimed three more lives, bringing the statewide total to eight deaths in the 2016-2017 flu season, the Division of Public Health (DPH) reports. The number of lab-confirmed cases is now 2,712 compared to 416 at this time last year.
Escaping to Warmer Climates for the Holidays? Zika Is Still a Threat
Many people like to plan getaways to warmer climates during the holidays to escape the chilly northeast coast weather. If you’re one of them, the Division of Public Health (DPH) reminds you that Zika is still active in many south and central American countries, southeast Florida and even Southeast Asia. Since there is no vaccine for Zika virus yet, stopping a mosquito bite, and practicing safer sex if you are involved with someone who could be exposed, is still the best protection against the disease. DPH confirmed last week that Delaware Zika cases are now at 17. The most recently announced case involves a female resident of Sussex County, for whom pregnancy is not at issue.
