Third death from influenza

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency is reporting the third death in the tri-county area this season due to complications from influenza.

This is the second death of a St. Joseph County resident, though the death of the elderly man occurred in an out-of-county facility.

In each of the three cases, there were underlying conditions that may have been the root of the problem, and it is unknown if any of the three people had received a flu shot this season.

Health Officer Steve Todd said some years, the agency sees the peak of the flu season hit in March and April. While it has seen some decreases in flu reports, the tri-county region is not out of the woods yet.

He said the deaths serve to remind the importance of vaccination.

Details regarding the latest victim’s age were not made available.