Eighth San Diego flu death reported; cases jump again

An additional influenza death was reported in the San Diego region, bringing this season’s total to eight, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced, Dec. 24.

The 70-year-old San Diego man died Dec. 19 from influenza A Pandemic H1N1 and had underlying medical conditions.

Also, the percentage of people with influenza-like illness at local emergency departments nearly doubled, jumping to 7% after holding steady at 4% for several weeks.

“Influenza can be life-threatening, especially for the elderly, the very young and people with underlying medical conditions,” said M. Winston Tilghma...