Boise (670 KBOI News) – So far this flu season, deaths are down significantly in Idaho…by this time last year, 66 people had died, while he flu has killed only 12 people this year.
But the Idaho Press is reporting last week was the deadliest so far in the 2018-2019 season…five people died from the flu.
Randi Pederson with Idaho Health and Welfare says the big difference this year is the number of young people who have been infected with the flu.
This year’s dominant strain, H1N1, tends to target young kids more than other groups, she said.
But no kids have died this year…of the 12 people who have, 11 were older than 50, and most of them were from North Idaho.
Pederson stresses it’s not too late to get a flu shot, especially considering January and February are considered the peak flu season.
