The state health agency reports the third flu-related seasonal death

A third death linked to the current influenza season has been reported to the state, said Tuesday a spokesman for the State Department of Health.

Health Department spokeswoman Meg Mirivel said the latest death, reported to the department on Monday, was that of a person 65 years or older. The first two deaths, reported last month, were both 45 to 64 years old.

Until now, all deaths involve people who lived in the southwestern state and who had not been vaccinated against the flu, Mirivel said.

The first flu-related death in the previous season was reported in late November 2017, said Mirivel. A total of 227 people died of the flu that season, making it the deadliest in decades.

The level of activity so far this season is "well below" that of last year, but "comparable to most previous years," Mirivel said.

According to reports from clinics reporting flu-like symptoms, the intensity of activity in this state was described as "minimal" by a report of the Ministry of Health during the week which ended Saturday. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the District of Columbia and 45 other states also reported minimal influenza activity in late October and early November.

The level was indicated as "low" in Alabama, Louisiana and Missouri and "moderate" in Georgia.

The flu seasons usually go from October to May.

Metro on 14/11/2018