Idaho officials say there were 101 flu-related deaths last season — quadruple the number of a typical year and the highest since the department began keeping records in 1997.
Idaho’s panhandle was hit particularly hard, with 37 deaths occurring there. Most were people over 50.
Randi Pedersen, Idaho’s influenza surveillance coordinator, says the last two years were severe influenza seasons.
Pederson says flu is really unpredictable. It seems to be a pretty mild season so far. But who knows what’s going to happen in the next couple of weeks or the months ahead.
Pederson says it highlights for a lot of people that flu certainly can be serious, and it can even be deadly.
