Flu death adds to Oklahoma's health concerns

Since Sept. 1, nine residents have been hospitalized with the flu.

Flu shots are a key way of staying healthy during the fall and winter, said Dr. Susana Chavez-Bueno, infectious disease specialist at OU Children's Physicians.

She said everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu shot. Flu vaccinations are available at health clinics throughout the state, private doctor's offices, as well as some discount stores and drugstores. The state is charging most people $25 for flu shots, but costs vary in the private sector.

Shots are especially important for children because they tend to suffer a higher mortality rate and more easily transmit the flu virus, Chavez-Bueno said.

Millions of pregnant women also have safely gotten the flu vaccine, she said, though it should be in the form of a shot rather than the nasal spray, which is a modified live virus not recommended for several groups of people. A mother-to-be's vaccination helps pass along some protection to the child she's carrying. She said women who are breast-feeding do not need to avoid the vaccination.

"There's definitely always the risk for a reaction, but overall the benefit for baby and mother is much higher," she said.

For the first time, Oklahoma and the rest of the nation offer a new extra-strength flu shot, with four times more dead virus, for people 65 years of age and older.

The flu can look like a bad cold, but experts say influenza typically has a very sudden onset with high fever, headache, body aches and cough. An estimated 114,000 Americans will be hospitalized for flu-related complications and 36,000 will die this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.