Live Healthy: DHEC’s Health & Environment Blog

Live Healthy: DHEC’s Health & Environment Blog

DHEC in the News: Flu

February 16, 2018
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Here's a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

Flu claims 22 more lives in SC, but there is some good news on the flu front The flu remains widespread in South Carolina, but for the second straight week the number of confirmed cases fell statewide.

Health Officials: 22 more die from flu in South Carolina State health officials say 22 more people have died from flu in South Carolina in the past week. The Department of Health and Environmental Control said Wednesday that the latest report shows that 128 people have died from the flu in South Carolina since the season started in October.

Upstate hospitals combat IV bag shortage amid flu season In the midst of what health officials say is shaping up to be the worst flu season in nearly a decade, three of the region's largest hospital systems are struggling to provide intravenous (IV) bags for incoming patients. The bags, which are used to administer fluids and medications, have been in short supply since Hurricane Maria's devastation of Puerto Rico in September, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The storm not only knocked out the island's electrical grid but also damaged a number of manufacturing facilities responsible for the production of IV bags.

Two more die of the flu in Beaufort County. Here's what we know. Two more flu-related deaths were reported in Beaufort and Jasper counties the week of Feb. 5, according to local healthcare officials. One person died at Beaufort Memorial Hospital and another at Coastal Carolina Hospital. The hospitals did not disclose the age or gender of the victims.

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Death DHEC Influenza Prevention Public Health SCDHEC South Carolina South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control