SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Five people have died in the past week due to complications related to the swine flu, bring the total number of Utah swine flu victims to eight.
The Utah State Department of Health issued its weekly report on the worldwide pandemic and its effects on the state of Utah on Wednesday.
Of the 5 confirmed deaths, two women were reported for the Davis County Health District, one aged between 50 and 64 years and the other was over 65. Two of the deaths came out of Salt Lake County, including a man between 25 and 39 years old and a woman who was over 65. The fifth death was man between 25 and 39 years old from the Tri-County Health District, which is comprised of Duchesne, Uintah and Daggett Counties.
Health Officials say influenza-like illnesses are currently circulating at a level that is greater than what is typically seen during regular flu seasons, and that the level of influenza activity currently occurring is considered very unusual for this time of the year.
Tom Hudachko, the spokesman for the Department, said "as of now our numbers of deaths is pretty well spread out through the age ranges. We have seen some deaths in that 65 and older category which we hadn't been seeing up until recently. It's hard to tell what that means at this time because the flu viruses are so unpredicable".
But, he also says the programs in place will continue with no change. He said, "There's nothing that we see in the data at this point that indicates a real change in severity or spread of the disease".
Utah state health officials also say this level of influenza activity carries the potential of stressing health care and other systems in Utah.
That is one reason health officials are asking employers not to require doctors slips for employees who are out sick with the swine flu. They say requiring doctors' notes for every swine flu case would put additional stress on health care professionals and clinics.
