Riverside County reports first flu-associated deaths

Riverside County health officials are urging residents to take steps to protect themselves from influenza and other respiratory illnesses, including getting vaccinated, following two recent flu-associated deaths.

The deaths involved a 73-year-old man from mid-county and a 79-year-old woman from western Riverside County. They were the first two reported influenza-associated deaths in Riverside County this flu season, which generally runs from October to April. Both had underlying health issues and died at local hospitals.

No further information about the individuals is being released.

“These tragedies remind us that influenza can be serious, especially for those who have health issues or weakened immune systems,” said Dr. Geoffrey Leung, public health officer for Riverside County. “There are simple steps that can be taken to protect ourselves. Most important of these is to get vaccinated. We recommend that everyone over 6 months of age receive the flu vaccine.”

For younger children and older adults as well as people with certain health conditions, respiratory viruses can cause more severe disease and may require additional medical care.

Each year, influenza cases send scores of patients to Riverside County hospitals and lead to a number of deaths and ICU cases. Nationally, influenza causes tens of thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations each year.

The county’s weekly influenza surveillance report is available here.

In addition to vaccines, the public can take these steps to protect themselves from flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses:

• Wash hands thoroughly and frequently
• Cover coughs and sneezes
• Keep children home when sick
• Consider indoor masking
• Disinfect frequently used surfaces

For more information about respiratory illnesses and vaccines, visit RUHealth.org or to see the county’s respiratory illness dashboard click Respiratory Viruses | Riverside University Health System (ruhealth.org)

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