Flu cases rise with 40 confirmed deaths in state

http://www.mcall.com/health/mc-pennsylvania-flu-outbreak-20130115,0,2984853.story FROM THE MORNING CALL Laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza increased by more than 5,000 in Pennsylvania and an additional 18 people died of flu-related complications in the past week, the state Department of Health reported Tuesday. The updated reports, for the week that ended Saturday, bring the totals to 40 deaths and 16,511 confirmed flu cases for the season. The Pennsylvania numbers add to an influenza outbreak that reached epidemic levels nationally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. According to the CDC, 7.3 percent of all deaths nationally last week were flu-related, just above the level needed to declare it an epidemic. The state health data reflect only cases in which a sick person had tests taken and a laboratory confirmed the presence of the influenza virus. Those cases represent a fraction of the total burden of the disease in the state.