What had been a relatively mild flu season has now been linked to two more deaths, as well as a small uptick in outbreaks at Minnesota schools.
The Minnesota Department of Health reported Friday that one victim died in the last week of December and another in the second week of January, the first flu death of 2011.
In addition, 19 people were hospitalized with flu-related illness in the week ending Jan. 22, according to the Health Department's weekly report. It reported four school outbreaks and one outbreak in a nursing home.
The report suggests that flu is starting to spread throughout the state after a relatively late start.
"This is kind of what we've been expecting," said Kris Ehresmann, head of immunization for the Health Department. "We're seeing all the things that tell us community-wide transmission is sort of beginning."
Normally, flu season tends to peak in Minnesota about this time of year.
The Health Department has been tracking flu-related deaths in hospitals closely since the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009. On Friday, it confirmed two such cases, neither identified by name. One was elderly, the other middle-aged with underlying health conditions, Ehresmann said.
Flu is typically linked to hundreds of deaths per year in Minnesota, mostly among the elderly, she said.
Maura Lerner • 612-673-7384
