Dallas County Health and Human Services said Monday that the county has seen four more flu-related deaths, bringing the total for the year to 78.
The patients, which already carried high-risk health conditions, died after complications related to the flu. The ages of the four were 66, 94, 92, and 90.
“Flu season has not ended therefore individuals in (high-risk) groups should continue to take precaution,” Dr. Christopher Perkins, DCHHS health authority and medical director, said in a statement.
Flu-related deaths were heaviest in Dallas County during January, but this season’s strand has continued to produce problems. Type A flu wreaked its havoc for most of the season, but a Parkland official told me that type B has made a late rise—extending the season.
That jibes with what the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said late last week. The number of type A and type B flu cases reported last week were about even, the agency said. It also said that Texas is among 21 states still experiencing high flu activity.
Texas has ranked high on the Walgreens Flu Index for weeks, and most recently came in as the state with the 4th-highest flu activity in the U.S. Walgreens uses prescription data to provide a view of the heaviest flu areas.
Dallas-Fort Worth ranked as the market with the 7th-highest flu activity in the country, according to the most recent index. It has ranked as high as No. 2.
