LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Department of Health is reporting an uptick in deaths due to influenza compared with last year.
The health department said 19 people have died this season from the flu, and all of them were adults. That's compared with the 11 people who died during the 2015-16 flu season.
The department said it's not too late for people to get vaccinated. Federal health officials said this week that this year's flu vaccine appears to be fairly effective against the most common strains this season.
Among infectious diseases, flu is considered one of the U.S.'s leading killers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates suggest that in an average year, about 35,000 Americans die from flu-related causes.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.