Texas flu death toll hits nearly 10,000

In ‘perfect storm,’ season is worst in at least 3 years

In what was considered the worst season in years, the flu and related complications killed nearly 10,000 Texans in 20172018, according to a state health officials.

The 9,470 deaths represents a spike of nearly 27 percent from the 7,459 deaths in 2016-2017 and an increase of nearly 82 percent over the 5,215 deaths in 2015-2016, the only previous years when overall deaths were tracked. The latest figures are likely not all-time highs, considering many past seasons were marked by similarly high hospitalization rates and more pediatric deaths.

“These death totals are

a reminder of the toll this epidemic takes every year,” said Chris Van Deusen, director of media relations for the Texas Department of State Health Services. “It’s easy to let your guard down and see the flu as something that inevitably happens, that you get over. But lots of people don’t.”

The vast majority of the deaths involve seniors. Fifteen of this season’s deaths involved children.

More than 2,150 of the deaths occurred in the Houston region. Only the region that includes Dallas had more, with 2,737 deaths.

Dr. Luis Ostrosky, an infectious diseases professor at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, said the state report shows the severity of the season. He attributed it to a peak period that lasted 2½ months, far longer than a typical peak period of a few weeks; a lessthan-optimal vaccine match; low vaccination rates; and two circulating flu strains, including the virulent H3N2 strain.

“It was a perfect storm,” said Ostrosky. “In addition to the deaths, we also saw more flu-related hospitalizations this year.”

The numbers are compiled from death certificates in which a doctor or medical examiner clicked the box for flu and pneumonia, a condition often caused by severe cases of flu.

The numbers reflect both overcounting and undercounting, since not all winter pneumonia cases originate with the flu and some doctors don’t check the cause of death box.

All told, Texas’ flu-related death rate this season was 32.25 per every 100,000 people. That’s up from the 2016-2017 rate of 25.90 and the 2015-2016 rate6 of 18.47.

Dr. Hana El Sahly, a professor of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, said the percentage of 2017-2018 flu and pneumonia deaths in Texas and nationally is higher than the five previous reported seasons.

“Judging by the number of deaths in children, the percentage of deaths due to pneumonia and influenza in adults and the overall number of cases, 20172018 has been a particularly intense influenza epidemic season,” El Sahly said.

The latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shows nearly 143,000 people, including 172 children, died from the flu and pneumonia in 2017-2018 through mid-May.

The Texas numbers go through the end of May, the traditional end of the flu season.

The CDC said the 172 pediatric deaths is a record for a nonpandemic year. The last pandemic was spring 2009-fall 2010, when a total of 358 children died from the flu.

Texas posted the most pediatric deaths those years, too — 27 in 2008-2009 and 33 in 20092010. Twenty children died in both 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 and 19 died in 2014-2015.

Dr. Michael Chang, an infectious diseases expert at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, said the CDC report shows that 80 percent of the children who died nationally were “unimmunized or underimmunized.” Half of the deceased were children who had an underlying condition.

“This year shows the need to be immunized,” said Chang. “These are people at high risk.”

About 60 percent of Texas children get vaccinated for the flu, said Chang, which ranks in the middle among states. Texas’ overall flu vaccination rate, including adults, is 43 percent, which ranks in the bottom third.

Of the 9,470 Texas deaths, 7,275 involved adults 65 and over and 1,585 involved adults 50 to 64.