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DOVER, Del. (AP) — Officials are reporting Delaware's first flu-related death of this year's flu season.
Officials said in a statement Friday that an 88-year-old New Castle County man died Monday. Tests confirmed that the man, who had underlying health conditions, was infected with influenza A.
Public health Director Dr. Karyl Rattay says the death is a reminder of how serious the flu can be, particularly among the very young, the old, and people with underlying health conditions.
Meanwhile, officials say there has been a recent spike in flu cases. For the week ending March 12, there were 411 confirmed cases, more than double the previous week's total.
There have been 828 lab-confirmed cases of the flu this season.
Last year, there were 2,390 confirmed flu cases in Delaware, with 28 flu-related deaths.
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