The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services on Dec. 7 confirmed the state's first two flu-related deaths of the 2018-19 season.
Health officials did not release the patients' identities but said both were over the age of 65. Officials also said the flu is slowly spreading across Nebraska.
"Flu can be a life-threatening disease for some people and it can make any of us sick. All it takes is getting the flu once, and you have a whole new appreciation [for] its health importance," Tom Safranek, MD, a state epidemiologist with the DHH, said in a press release. "[The] flu vaccine is our best protection against the flu and it's recommended for everyone 6 months and older."
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