Iowa HHS reports first flu death of virus season

Iowa Health and Human Services officials announced Friday that it has recorded the first flu-related death of the season.

According to a news release, an older adult in southwest Iowa has died from influenza.

“Holiday gatherings bring us together with family and friends we may not see often,” State Medical Director Robert Kruse said in a release announcing the death. “To keep those celebrations, our workplaces and our communities safe and healthy, I encourage everyone to stay home when feeling sick and to talk with your health care provider about vaccination."

According to Iowa’s most recent Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report, hospitals around the state are reporting low patient admission rates and low levels of activity.

Although the virus is currently circulating at low levels, experts are urging Iowans to take precautions to stay healthy during cold and flu season.

Iowa officials said that precautions can include getting vaccines for respiratory diseases like flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

“HHS encourages Iowans to talk to their doctor or other trusted health care provider about vaccines, especially those with chronic health conditions who may be at higher risk for serious illness,” health officials stated in the release.

Last winter was a “challenging flu season,” according to health officials, in part due to fewer Iowans receiving vaccinations.

Danielle Pettit-Majewski, director of Johnson County Public Health, told The Gazette earlier this year that last year saw a “really low uptake in seasonal influenza” vaccines. Only about 40 percent of Iowans received a seasonal flu vaccine.

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Tips to stay healthy this winter

Health officials are urging Iowans to stay home and avoid social gatherings if they or their children are sick.

They also recommend that Iowans clean high-touch surfaces in homes frequently with household disinfectants, practice hand hygiene frequently with soap and water or hand sanitizer for at least 20 seconds, and to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or an upper shirtsleeve instead of a hand, if a tissue is not available.

Parents should also keep their children home from day care or school if they have fever, cough, congestion, runny nose, or sore throat. Experts say children should be kept out of school or day care until they are fever-free for 24 hours without medications that reduce fevers.

“If you or a loved one is sick and needs medical care, contact your health care provider,” the press release states. “Your health care provider can offer advice on whether you or your child needs to be evaluated in person, tested for flu or other respiratory diseases, and the best location for care.”

Olivia Cohen covers energy and environment for The Gazette and is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. She is also a contributing writer for the Ag and Water Desk, an independent journalism collaborative focusing on the Mississippi River Basin.

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Comments: olivia.cohen@thegazette.com