© 2024 KRWG
News that Matters.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

NM Officials: Flu Sickened More This Year; Season Not Over

New Mexico Department of Health

New Mexico health officials are warning that the flu season is not over.

Officials say more people have been hospitalized in the state this season than in many years.

According to the state Department of Health, the virus hospitalized 40 people per 100,000 this flu season as compared with 29 per 100,000 during 2012-13.

Children under 5 and the elderly are particularly vulnerable.

One Dona Ana County child and 27 adults have died from flu-related complications since the start of the 2014-15 flu season.

Flu season peaked at the end of December nationally and in New Mexico. While the predominant strain of flu this season has been the influenza A virus, the influenza B virus continues to be a threat.

Vaccinations and washing hands curbs transmission of the virus.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.