GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Three people over 50 have died recently in Kent County after contracting H1N1 influenza A, the Kent County Health Department said Thursday.
All the deaths were of people over age 50, though several deaths were earlier reported in eastern Michigan of healthy young adults, the department’s statement said. At least 26 people in Kent County have been hospitalized out of more than 400 reported flu cases.
Two of the cases that resulted in death involved previous “underlying medical conditions,” said Adam London, the department’s administrative health officer.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in December 2013 issued an advisory about an increase in the number of young and middle-aged people coming down with severe respiratory illness.
The Kent County Health Department did not identify the victims but urged people to get vaccinated. “The influenza vaccine this year is highly effective protection against the flu, including H1N1,” the department’s statement said.
Read the entire statement, with includes more flu info: 1-16-14 Flu in Kent County
