DEATHS: Nearly half of the previous year's total deaths have been reported in the last seven weeks.

The weekly flu report from the Arkansas Department of Health brought more unfortunate news — a total of 14 Arkansans have died from flu-related causes since Oct. 2.

Last week, health experts noted a rise in infections early this flu season. The illness typically peaks in January or February. In about seven weeks, more than 7,000 positive flu tests have been reported in Arkansas. But because only a portion of positive cases are likely captured in these numbers, the actual case count is likely higher.

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This high number of early cases could mean a difficult winter for viruses, said Joel Tumlison, the health department’s medical director for immunizations. He said it is hard to tell how long the high case numbers will last.

Of the 14 deaths reported, 10 are people ages 65 and older, though the demographic report doesn’t get more specific than that. Three deaths were reported among people ages 45 to 64, and one death was an individual aged 25-44. Demographic information outside of age is not released. 

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Thirty total deaths were reported last flu season, and Tumlison said fatalities in the 2022-2023 season are expected to exceed that number.

The ADH also reported that the flu activity level is in the “very high” category, which was unchanged from the previous week. 

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Since Oct. 2, four nursing homes have reported flu outbreaks, but identifying information about the institutions is not released. The school absenteeism rate decreased in the most recent ADH report to an average rate of 7.6%. 

Pulaski County reported an 8.8% absenteeism rate. The state’s highest rate of 14.3% was reported in Phillips County on the state’s Eastern border.

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Information about where to find a flu vaccine can be found here.

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