First flu-related death of 2019-2020 season recorded in Pierce County
A Pierce County man has died from flu-related complications, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department officials announced Wednesday.
The man, who was in his 80s, died in late November and had chronic underlying health problems that increased his risk for complications.
His name was not released.
This is the first flu-related death of the 2019-2020 season in Pierce County and the second statewide. A man in his 90s also died from influenza in Franklin County last month.
Last season, 241 people in Washington state died of influenza, 42 of them from Pierce County.
There were 31 flu-related deaths in Pierce County over the 2017-2018 season, and 50 the season before.
Flu season typically runs October to April.
Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat and body aches.
“Vaccination is your best protection against the flu,” public health nurse Denise Stinson said in a news release. “When you get a flu shot, you protect yourself from the virus and help create a circle of protection around people who can’t get the vaccine for medical reasons.”
Read more about the flu here.
This story was originally published December 4, 2019 at 12:59 PM.
