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Health officials in Connecticut confirmed the first flu-related death of the season, adding that the virus had sent 22 more patients to the hospital. The state health department did not identify the patient in his announcement or reveal the moment of death, but said that flu-related activities have been slowly increasing since the end of August.
The state recorded 154 deaths last year due to an influenza-related illness, making it the deadliest of the last five years in Connecticut.
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"Last year [the vaccine] It was not a good match, but people have to remember even a year when the vaccine is not a good match … it's still our best protection, "said Mick Bolduc, Connecticut epidemiologist, Hartford Courant .
Health professionals across the country have echoed this statement as they seek to reduce the number of deaths from the virus after last year's records. The flu killed about 80,000 Americans last season, making it the worst of decades.
Florida health officials recently reported their first pediatric death linked to the flu, adding that the child had not been vaccinated.
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"The influenza vaccine is extremely important because it reduces the risk of getting the flu," said Michelle Lin, an emergency physician and emergency medicine professor at Mount Sinai in New York last week. "It also reduces your risk of complications and passes it on to other people, especially pregnant women, young children and the elderly."
The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics urge all people 6 months and older to receive the vaccine by the end of October, when influenza activity generally increases.
Madeline Farber of Fox News contributed to this article
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