Health Officials report 11 deaths from flu in Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WHNT) – A report from the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) said nine adults and two children have suffered flu-related deaths this flu season.

The health agency’s latest weekly report said there have been 11 flu-related deaths statewide since the flu season began this fall, with nine non-pediatric cases and two pediatric cases.

The deaths come during a flu season that health experts say is hitting the state particularly hard.

ADPH district medical officer, Dr. Wes Stubblefield, told News 19 last week that the flu is widespread in Alabama.

“We have flu that is widespread across the state and it’s increasing week by week,” he said. “We have over 200 people in the hospital with confirmed flu.”

The ADPH report shows that 6.9 percent of all outpatient doctor visits in the state were for flu-like symptoms last week, down from the past two weeks, when flu-like illness peaked at just under 12 percent. .

The new numbers are still higher than those from this time in 2021 or 2020. They are also higher than the 3.27 percent baseline set by ADPH for this year’s flu season.

ADPH’s North Alabama District specifically had 5.84 percent of outpatient physician visits involving flu-related illnesses.

The flu isn’t just hitting Alabama hard this year. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)[orted that during the weekendonNov12everystateintheSoutheasternUnitedStatesexperiencedighhorveryhighlevelsoffluactivity][thotësegjatëjavësqëpërfundonmë12nëntorçdoshtetnëShteteteBashkuaraJuglindorepërjetoiniveletëlartaoseshumëtëlartatëaktivitetittëgripit[ortedthatduringtheweekendingonNov12everystateintheSoutheasternUnitedStatesexperiencedhighorveryhighlevelsoffluactivity

of CDC flu map said the hardest hit states are Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina

In light of the flu numbers, ADPH is encouraging people to get a flu shot.