Within a large volume of flu cases flooding the emergency room at Saint Francis Hospital, measures to combat the spread of the virus has increased to protect patients and staff. Jennifer Corbett/The News Journal
A 62-year-old New Castle County woman has died from the flu, increasing Delaware's death tally to 31 people this season, state health officials said Monday.
The First State has faced the deadliest flu season in state recorded history. The previous record was set in the 2014-2015 season with 28 deaths. The state started keeping flu fatality records in 2004.
The New Castle County woman had underlying health conditions, officials said.
These 3 Delawareans thought they had a mild case of the flu. They were wrong.
Delaware heath officials said the worst of the flu season is also likely over in the First State. The number of confirmed cases and hospitalizations has dropped in recent weeks.
That echoes a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcement last month that the flu season has peaked nationally and will likely end in mid-April.
With flu on the decline, the state said it will no longer be issuing weekly updates after March.
The Harrington ordeal started in late January when she went for a flu test. She tested positive and so did her husband. Shortly after, the four kids had flu-like symptoms. 3/6/18 Saquan Stimpson & Damian Giletto
But the flu likely will continue to circulate for the next couple of weeks, health officials warned.
From March 4 to March 10, the state confirmed 290 cases of the flu, a significant decline from previous weeks. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 7,433, which is the highest number of cases since the state began recording it in 2004.
Flu prevention demands take-no-prisoners attitude
The decline may also be a sign that doctors have simply stopped doing official tests and are treating people for flu if they have the symptoms.
Doctors say this year's flu season is bad for several reasons: Both influenza A and B strains are circulating at the same time, when one usually dominates early in the season with the other comes later in the spring.
Flu vaccines are also less effective than expected, though doctors still encourage people to get them.
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These 3 Delawareans thought they had a mild case of the flu. They were wrong.
Contact Meredith Newman at (302) 324-2386 or at mnewman@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @merenewman.
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