North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has reported 52 flu-related deaths statewide so far this season.
At this point last year, there were 165.
Influenza season runs from October to May each year, and the peak for flu activity usually comes during the winter months.
Anita Valiani with NC DHHS says the flu shot is working fairly well for the most common strain in the Southeast this year, Influenza A (H3N2).
“Overall risk of people having to seek medical care for flu illness was about half in people who were vaccinated, which [means] 47 percent effectiveness,” she says.
Valiani says this is more than twice as effective as last year's shot. She says that while it's recommended people get the flu shot in the fall, it is never too late to get vaccinated.