SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah — After two children died of influenza in Salt Lake County over the last 30 days, officials are reminding Utahns to get vaccinated.
In addition to the children, who were not identified by name or age, three adults over the age of 50 years old have suffered flu-related deaths during the season.
READ: Flu, respiratory illnesses continue to rise in Utah, but residents fail to get protected
While further identifying factors and details surrounding the deaths were not made available, the Salt Lake County Health Department stated none of the five individuals had a record of getting their flu vaccine this year.
“These deaths are a tragic reminder that influenza is a serious disease,” said Dr. Angela Dunn, executive director of SLCoHD in a release. “Everyone six months and older should get a flu shot every year to prevent serious illness and death, and to avoid getting others sick.”
Getting a flu shot does not mean that you won’t get sick, but it reduces the severity of the illness.
“The flu deaths that happen are more often the patients that have not had immunizations, not been vaccinated, and as we know from good science, the influenza vaccine does a good job of keeping people from getting sick enough to wind up seeking healthcare,” explained Dr. Per Gesteland, a pediatric hospitalist with University of Utah Health and Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital.
Gesteland says Primary Children’s Hospital is overwhelmed with kids getting sick from the flu.
“It’s safe to say that our ICU is full of a lot of respiratory illnesses — probably more than 80% of patients,” he said.
This season is unusual because there are three strains of the virus circulating, when there is usually just one dominant variant. However, experts say these are not new strains and are not causes for major concerns.
“It doesn’t really change what we do a whole lot,” Salt Lake County epidemiologist Ryan Chatelain explained. “Some strains can be more severe than other strains. Typically A(H1N1) is a more severe strain. The vaccine covers all of the strains, so that’s a good thing.”
In Utah’s most populous county, 353 people have been hospitalized with the flu since October 1.
Officials say most patients who have been hospitalized are either over the age of 50 or under the age of 4 years.
Utah typically sees its peak flu season in January or February, health officials explained. However, seasonal flu can begin as early as October and extend into May.
A unique aspect of this year’s season is that multiple strains of the illness are active in Utah.
“Typically, we see one strain responsible for most cases through the season’s peak, and a few early or late cases due to other strains,” Chatelain said in a release, “but this year, we have three strains actively circulating in the middle of the season.”
All three strains of flu this year, type A(H1N1), type A(H3N2), and type B(Victoria), are included in the vaccine, health officials explained. It’s encouraged that everyone aged six months and older get a vaccine to prevent serious illness.
