State sees sixth pediatric flu death

A young person under the age of 18 has died of influenza, the Minnesota Department of Health said Thursday. It's the sixth pediatric flu-related death since the season began in late 2014.

The state's latest report says 13 people were hospitalized the last week of February, down from 29 the week before.

The number of hospitalized patients — 3,009 so far this season — has doubled since last year. Fifty-two percent of those hospitalizations happened in the Twin Cities metro area, the report said.

Schools and long-term care facilities continue to see the majority of outbreaks.

The state says influenza-A activity continues to decrease, but influenza-B is still on the rise.

Minnesota's health department does not report the number of adult-related flu deaths on a weekly basis, only at the end of the season.

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