A milder flu strain and more vaccinations mean less deaths in Washington state

A milder flu strain and more vaccinations may be making a dent.

So far this flu season, 59 people have died in Washington state. These numbers are a big decline from the past two years, when three or four times as many people had died by this time of year.

“It looks like the flu strain that’s going around this year is one that’s a little bit milder, the vaccine is also more effective against it, and more people are getting vaccinated,” said Danielle Koenig, an immunization health educator with the state health department. “So those all contribute to lower numbers.”

Over half the deaths were of people over 65, and most deaths were in people who had other health issues, according to data from the Washington State Department of Health covering October 2018 to February 23, 2019. One person under 18 has died so far.

Last year 200 people had died in the state by the eighth week of the year, and in the 2016-2017 flu season, 258 people had died.

Compared to last flu season, fewer people have been showing up at doctors' offices across the state with flu-like symptoms, such as a high fever with a cough and/or sore throat, according to data from the U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network.

“The last couple of years we had a lot of H3N2 strain flu going around, which is known to be a lot more serious and a lot more deadly,” Koenig said. The biggest strain circulating in Washington now is H1N1, she said, although the H3N2 strain is still present.

But, the flu is unpredictable and we could still see a spike. Also, it’s not too late to get a flu shot, Koenig said.