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North Carolina has experienced its first confirmed flu-related death for the 2018-19 season, state health regulators said Thursday.
The individual was aged 65 and older and lived in the central part of the state. Forsyth County health officials said the death was a local resident.
"To protect the privacy of the family, the person's hometown, county, age and gender will not be released," the N.C. Division of Public Health said in a statement. It is a continuation of a policy for several years.
Flu season typically begins on Oct. 1 and lasts through March 31, while there are several recent years in the literature.
The 2017-18 flu season was the deadliest in modern-day North Carolina history at 391 deaths.
The totals were broken down as follows: 290 deaths among people 65 or older; 71 among ages 50 to 64; 19 between ages 25 to 49; six among ages 5 to 17; oven among ages 18 to 24; and one child under 4.
"We have already seen some sporadic cases of this year, but we do not anticipate widespread" "Dr. Christopher Ohl, infectious diseases expert at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, said at the start of the season .
"It's always hard to predict how severe it will be. We do not have any indications that this will be more severe than normal.
"Everyone over the age of 6 months is getting their flu vaccine this year," Ohl said.
Flu vaccines are typically available in doctor 's offices, health care clinics, county health departments, pharmacies and college health centers, and many others. Individuals can use the FluFinder at www.flu.nc.gov to find a clinic near them.
The shots are usually available for private and medical insurance and Medicare and Medicaid recipients.
Dr. Daniel Jernigan, with the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in late September that it is more commonplace.
"Early signs are that the vaccine is shaping up to be a good match," Jernigan said.
Besides the elderly, other vulnerable groups are children younger than 5, pregnant women and those with pre-existing medical conditions. Added this year is the category of residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
Nationwide, the CDC said there were more than 80,000 flu-related deaths in 2017-18 – the highest level since the 1976-77 season. The total death had ranged in recent years from 12,000 to 56,000.
Local hospitals limited visitor restrictions for children 12 and under last season from Jan. 12 to March 16.
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