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Published On: Fri, Feb 7th, 2014

Flu deaths top 200 in California with majority being due to H1N1 influenza

The number of influenza-related fatalities in California has risen by another 56 cases during the past week, bringing the total deaths associated with flu to 202, according to a California Department of Public Health (CDPH) press release today.

Public domain image/National Atlas of the United States

Public domain image/National Atlas of the United States

The total deaths reported so far in the 2013-2014 flu season has nearly doubled the total of 106 reported during the entire 2012-2013 flu season.

In addition, health officials say that there are another 41 deaths under investigation awaiting confirmation.

Of the 202 fatalities, 194 (96.0%) were positive for influenza A, 3 (1.5%) were positive for influenza B, and 5 (2.5%) were positive for influenza but the type is not known.

To break down the influenza cases further, the vast majority (150 or 77%) were  subtyped 2009 A (H1N1), while 2 were subtyped as H3 strains and 42 were not subtyped.

The majority of flu-related deaths reported in California for which data was available, had co-morbid conditions considered by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to increase the risk for severe influenza.

The 202 confirmed influenza-associated deaths this season have been reported by the following jurisdictions: Alameda (5), Contra Costa (5), El Dorado (2), Fresno (15), Glenn (1), Humboldt (1), Imperial (1), Kern (8), Kings (3), Lake (1), Lassen (1), Long Beach (3), Los Angeles (26), Madera (2), Marin (2), Mendocino (2), Merced (4), Monterey (2), Nevada (1), Orange (8), Riverside (6), Sacramento (21), San Bernardino (15), San Diego (17), San Francisco (3), San Joaquin (6), San Luis Obispo (1), San Mateo (4), Santa Barbara (2), Santa Clara (10), Santa Cruz (1), Shasta (1), Siskiyou (2), Solano (1), Sonoma (4), Stanislaus (12), Tulare (1), Tuolumne (1) and  Ventura (1).

Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says  some states that saw earlier increases in flu activity are now beginning to see decreases. Other states are continuing to see high levels of flu activity or are seeing continued increases in activity. Flu activity is likely to continue for several more weeks.

Twenty-nine states (including California) reported widespread geographic influenza activity. This is a decrease from the 38 states that reported widespread activity in the previous week.

For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page and the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show page.

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About the Author

- Writer, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch. Robert has been covering news in the areas of health, world news and politics for a variety of online news sources. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the website, Outbreak News Today and hosts the podcast, Outbreak News Interviews on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify Robert is politically Independent and a born again Christian Follow @bactiman63

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