Five More Flu-Related Deaths In Oklahoma, Including One In Tulsa County

Five more Oklahomans have died from influenza in the past week according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. One of those deaths occurred in Tulsa County.

The OSDH says the death toll for Oklahoma this flu season is now 58. The number of flu deaths in Tulsa County now stands at ten, the highest of any county in Oklahoma.

Tulsa County health officials say one of those ten deaths was a child under the age of four back in January.

1/16/2014 Related Story: Health Department: Flu Contributed To Death Of Tulsa County Child

The other four flu-related deaths this past week were in Jackson, Mayes, McClain and Oklahoma counties.

Statewide, hospitalizations due to influenza rose to 1,260 this flu season.

Flu hospitalizations and deaths in eastern Oklahoma [since October 2013]:

• Adair County 20
• Cherokee County 7
• Craig County 9 (1 death)
• Creek County 24 (2 deaths)
• Delaware County 3
• Latimer County 6
• LeFlore County 20 (2 deaths)
• Mayes County 23 (2 death)
• McIntosh County 10 (1 death)
• Muskogee County 45 (2 deaths)
• Nowata County 2
• Okfuskee County 6
• Okmulgee County 22 (1 death)
• Osage County 10 (1 death)
• Ottawa County 8
• Pawnee County 5
• Pittsburg County 22 (3 deaths)
• Rogers County 30
• Sequoyah County 5
• Tulsa County 241 (10 deaths)
• Wagoner County 29
• Washington County 7 (2 deaths)

This year's number of flu-related deaths in Oklahoma is a new record. The previous record was 46 flu-related deaths in 2009, the year OSDH began tracking the statistic.

Tulsa County flu deaths by year:

2009-2010 (pandemic year – Sept. 1, 2009 through May 25, 2010)

• Tulsa County deaths = 10
• Statewide deaths = 46

2010-2011 (Oct. 3, 2010 through May 24, 2011)

• Tulsa County deaths = 3
• Statewide deaths = 29

2011-2012 (Oct. 2, 2011 through May 22, 2012):

• Tulsa County deaths = 0
• Statewide deaths = 10

2012-2013 (Sept. 30, 2012 through May 21, 2013):

• Tulsa County deaths = 12
• Statewide deaths = 42

2013-2014 (Sept. 29, 2013 through Mar. 18, 2014):

• Tulsa County deaths = 10
• Statewide deaths = 58

The Department of Health began keeping statistics for the 2013-2014 flu season in late September 2013.