Number Of Oklahoma Flu Deaths Rises To 20

Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Oklahoma State Department of Health officials say the number of deaths associated with influenza has risen to 20.

The agency announced Thursday the latest death was a Canadian County resident in the 65 and older age group. Officials say 50 percent of the flu deaths have occurred in that age group.

Since September, 1,954 cases of influenza-associated hospitalizations have been reported to the state Health Department. Forty-eight percent of hospitalizations have occurred among children 18 years of age or less.

Officials say 388 of 533 specimens tested by Health Department were positive for influenza. Of those, 250, or 64.4 percent, were positive for influenza A; 19, or 4. 9 percent were positive for swine flu, or H1N1, and 119, or 30.7 percent were positive for Type B flu.