DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa health officials say the flu killed more than twice as many residents this past winter as the year before.
The Des Moines Register says the Iowa Department of Public Health reported Friday that 270 people in Iowa died from the flu in the season starting last fall. That compares with 133 flu deaths over the same period a year earlier. Just 44 flu deaths were confirmed in Iowa two seasons ago.
Flu hospitalizations spiked in late December and stayed high into February.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that flu-related deaths also soared nationally, reaching their highest level since at least the 2014-15 season.
Iowa health officials say the number of new flu cases has dropped to a trickle in recent weeks.
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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com
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