HEADLINES, MORE COMMON

VERSIONS OF THE FLU HAVE

HEALTH OFFICIALS WORRIED.

3

BRIAN:..THAT'S ESPECIALLY TRUE

AMONG CHILDREN WHO COME DOWN

WITH THE FLU. THE CDC SAYS FLU

DEATHS AMONG KIDS HAVE HIT AN

11 YEAR HIGH.

3

NEWS 8'S JOE LAFURGEY IS IN

STUDIO CONTROL WITH THE STORY.

3

JOE:..KENT COUNTY HEALTH

OFFICIALS SAY THE 3 PEOPLE WHO

WERE UNDER VOLUNTARY

QUARANTINE AFTER POTENTIAL

EXPOSURE TO CORONAVIRUS VIRUS

NEVER DEVELOPED THE VIRUS. TWO

OTHER PEOPLE ARE NOW UNDER

THAT SAME PROGRAM. BUT THE

MORE COMMON FLU IS PRODUCING

MUCH HIGHER NUMBERS.

3

3

((BRIAN HARTL, EPIDEMIOLOGY

SUPERVISOR-KENT COUNTY HEALTH

DEPARTMENT/WHAT IS REALLY

IMPACTING OUR COMMUNITY NOW IS

INFLUENZA, ESPECIALLY AMONG

OUR YOUNG POPULATION. ))WHILE

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SHOWING

UP AT LOCAL EMERGENCY ROOMS

WITH FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS ARE

DOWN THIS WEEK... THEY'RE

STILL UP FROM LAST YEAR AT

THIS TIME. PATIENTS WITH

FEVER, WEAKNESS, DIZZINESS,

LIGHTHEADEDNESS AND CHILLS

ACCOUNTED FOR 10.6 PERCENT OF

ER VISITS IN KENT COUNTY THE

WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 15TH. 6.4

PERCENT VISITED THE ER WITH

THE SAME SYMPTOMS THE SAME

WEEK LAST YEAR. AND THE

NUMBERS HAVE YET TO

PEAK. ((BRIAN HARTL,

EPIDEMIOLOGY SUPERVISOR-KENT

COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT/WE

SAW A LOT AT THE BEGINNING OF

THE SEASON, AND THEN IT

DROPPED OFF. NOW IT'S BACK

UP.))NATIONALLY... THE BIGGEST

FEAR IS FOR THE YOUNG. THE CDC

HAS RECORDED THE HIGHEST

NUMBER OF DEATHS AMONG

CHILDREN FROM THE FLU... 105

ACROSS THE COUNTRY... SINCE

THE FLU PANDEMIC OF 2009.KIDS

UNDER AGE OF 5 ARE MOST AT

RISK FOR COMPLICATIONS FOR

FLU, AND MOST LIKELY TO BE

HOSPITALIZED.

3

((BRIAN HARTL, EPIDEMIOLOGY

SUPERVISOR-KENT COUNTY HEALTH

DEPARTMENT/WE HAVEN'T SEEN

THAT HERE IN KENT COUNTY. WE

HAVEN'T HAD ANY DEATHS IN KENT

COUNTY OF PEDIATRIC PATIENTS.

BUT WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF

ILLNESS. ))

3

JOE:..AND IT IT STILL NOT TOO

LATE TO GET A FLU SHOT.

DOCTORS SAY THAT'S STILL YOU

BEST BET TO AVOID GETTING THE