Minn. reports 1st flu death of season
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota has reported its first flu-related death of the season.
A Minnesota Department of Health spokesman tells the Star Tribune (http://bit.ly/ZVv7OF) the victim was a man in his 60s who had underlying health problems.
Meanwhile, state officials report a dramatic rise in the number of flu cases in schools and hospitals.
The Health Department reports 47 schools reported flu outbreaks in the week ending Dec. 15. That's nearly four times the number of schools the week before.
At the same time, the number of patients hospitalized with influenza more than doubled, from 30 to 65.
The number of nursing homes or long-term care facilities reporting outbreaks also doubled, from three to six last week.
Since October, 165 people in Minnesota have been hospitalized with confirmed cases of influenza.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.