The influenza strain leads to an increase in the number of hospitalizations at the end of the season

Health officials said that a flu wave late in the season had caused a surge in the number of hospitalizations in the northwestern interior.

The spokesman for the newspaper said the virus was a strain different from that affecting people earlier this flu season.

Officials from the Spokane Regional Health District indicated that overall, the number of hospitalizations and deaths related to influenza was significantly lower than last year, but the numbers for March were higher than the deaths and hospitalizations observed in March over the last five years.

So far this year, more than 420 people have received flu treatment at a Spokane hospital, including more than 100 during the month of March.

Dr. Bob Lutz, Spokane County Health Officer, said this season's flu vaccine was effective in preventing the strain of H1N1 influenza that was prevalent early in the influenza season. But he added that the vaccine is not as effective in preventing the strain of H3N2 flu, which has been increasing in recent years. He still recommends that people take precautions against the flu, including vaccination.

"If you are not vaccinated, your risk of contracting the flu is greater than that of the people vaccinated," Lutz said.

About 21 people died of the flu in Spokane County this year and about 14% of them were vaccinated. About one-third of these people died after February 25th.

Lutz said the vaccine was effective at 47% overall and 61% for children early, but that number may change as the season continues. He said that none of the children hospitalized until now had been vaccinated.

Amy Ward, nurse and head of infection prevention at Kootenai Health in Idaho, said influenza-related hospitalizations also increased in March in her area. She said this season is slightly unusual and a little later than normal.

"It's really hanging out," she said. "But there is still time to get vaccinated."

Katherine Hoyer, a spokesperson for the Panhandle Health District, which covers Idaho's five most northern counties, said 20 percent of people with flu-related symptoms were positive. There have been 32 deaths due to the flu in Idaho this season.

Symptoms include fever, body aches, sore throat, cough, headache and fatigue. Some people may have mild vomiting, but this is more common in children than in adults.