PHOENIX — The Centers for Disease Control are reporting flu cases are greater than usual this season, and the numbers in Graham and Greenlee counties bear that out.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, Graham County has experienced 345 cases of flu so far this flu season, which is 516 percent more than the five-year average for this time of the flu season.
Of the total number of cases, 333 have been Influenza A, six cases have been Influenza B and the remaining six have not yet been determined.
Reports show school-aged children seeing most of the cases in Graham County, with 42 percent impacting children 5 to 18 years old. Twenty-six percent of the cases involve young adults, 18 to 49; while babies and toddlers account for 14 percent of the cases. Older Graham County residents — those 50 to 64 and those 65 and older — both account for 9 percent of the cases each.
The current number of cases versus the five-year average is even worse in Greenlee County.
AZDHS reports 218 cases of flu in Greenlee County thus far this season, which is 3,000 percent higher than the five-year average.
A total of 213 of Greenlee County’s cases have been Influenza A, two have been Influenza B and the remaining three are undetermined.
School-aged children 5-18 have accounted for 45 percent of Greenlee County’s cases, followed by 33 percent in young adults 19-49, 12 percent in babies and toddlers, 6 percent in adults 50-64 and 4 percent in those 65 and older.
