COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency Health Officer Rebecca Burns told the agency’s Board of Health on Thursday that Michigan is currently ranked “very high” for respiratory illnesses.
She said in her report there have been reports that this is the worst flu season in 15 years.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has reported there have been two confirmed pediatric flu deaths this season.
Burns once again emphasized it is not too late to receive vaccinations.
Medical Director Dr. Karen Luparello said people who get sick this time of year may not necessarily have the flu.
She added a flu vaccine does not prevent the illness but instead it lessens the severity of the disease.
Doctor Luparello also reported about eight percent of the U.S. population gets sick from flu each season, with a range of between three percent and 11 percent, depending on the season.
She pointed out statistics show children younger than 18 are more than twice as likely to develop a symptomatic flu infection than adults 65 and older.
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