South Carolina: Flu deaths and hospitalizations continue to climb

Thursday, December 27, 2012 12:53 a.m. Excerpts: Ten deaths from the flu have been reported in South Carolina as the number of hospitalizations and fatalities climbs well above last year’s mild season. Flu season Statewide, 519 people with laboratory-confirmed influenza were admitted to hospitals from Sept. 30 through Dec. 15, only partly through the season, according to the latest figures available from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. In comparison, last year’s flu season began late and resulted in one death and 114 people hospitalized with lab-confirmed flu from Oct. 2, 2011, to July 7, 2012, according to DHEC. Continued: