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| Sat, Aug. 30, 2008 |  |
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Health Department reports three deaths from influenza Wednesday, Feb 20, 2008 Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - State health officials warning of an increase in influenza activity in recent weeks reported Tuesday that three Arkansans have died from the flu so far this year. "We got off to a late start this year, but our surveillance shows that we have been seeing a sharp increase in activity over the last two weeks," said Sandra Snow, medical director of communicable diseases and immunizations for the Arkansas Health Department. Seven people died from the flu last year in Arkansas. The year 2000 had the highest number of flu-related deaths in the past decade, at 36 deaths. "We want folks to know that it is still not too late to get a flu shot," Snow said. This year's flu vaccine does not exactly match the type of flu that has been reported across the country so far, but experts at the federal Centers for Disease Control believe it will still prevent the flu in some cases, and lessen the symptoms and shorten the duration for those who receive it, the Health Department said. |
