Politics & Government
Swine Flu Kills East Bay Woman – Officials Urge Flu Shots
Contra Costa County health officials announced that a woman has died after contracting H1N1 flu virus, also known as swine flu. This year's flu vaccine protects against the virus, which causes severe illness.
By Laura Dixon, Bay City News Service
A 48-year-old woman who died in the past week is Contra Costa County's first flu death of the season, county health officials said Tuesday.
Contra Costa Health Services spokeswoman Kate Fowlie said the woman had underlying health conditions in addition to being infected with the H1N1 virus.
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The woman, whose name is not being released, was one of 17 people under 65 years old in Contra Costa County who have been hospitalized with the virus this flu season, according to Fowlie.
The H1N1 virus -- sometimes called swine flu -- surfaced in the United States in 2009, causing the first global pandemic in more than 40 years and resulting in a number of hospitalizations and deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The public is advised to get yearly flu vaccinations to protect against H1N1 as well as other types of flu viruses.
Information about where to get vaccinated can be found at http://cchealth.org/flu/vaccination.php.
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