A Pierce County woman in her 50s who died this week joined at least 10 other people statewide who also have lost their lives from influenza complications during the 2013-14 flu season. The Pierce County death in a local hospital was reported Jan. 13. The woman had underlying health conditions, according to Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department officials who said they couldn't provide any more details about her because of medical confidentiality rules. Nigel Turner, the department's communicable disease control director, said the death "underscores just how severe the flu can be, for people of any age and especially for people who have underlying health conditions.GÇ¥ For the week of Jan. 6, the Pierce County health department received reports of 29 people hospitalized with lab-confirmed influenza. So far this season, 93 people have been hospitalized with lab-confirmed flu. For all of Washington, the state Department of Health reported 11 deaths as of Jan. 10. For the 2012-13 flu season, 54 deaths were reported statewide. (Read more in the Jan. 22 print edition of The Dispatch)
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