By Anita Lightfoot, County of San Diego Communications Office

October 24, 2023 (San Diego) - San Diego County doctors share the top 6 tips to help you fight winter viruses and stay healthy.

By Katie Cadiao, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  a flu shot is recommended for everyone 6 months and older.

October 28, 2022 (San Diego) - A 55-year-old man from the North Central region of the county is the first influenza death reported in San Diego this season, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced today.

By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  a flu shot is recommended for everyone 6 months and older.

February 23, 2022 (San Diego's East County) - A  64-year-old man from eastern San Diego County is the third influenza death reported in the region this season, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced today.

East County News Service

January 12, 2022 (Lemon Grove) – Free COVID-19 and flu vaccines are available Saturday, January 15 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lemon Grove Academy Middle School, 7866 Lincoln Street in Lemon Grove.

By Miriam Raftery

January 23, 2020 (San Diego) – A new coronavirus first identified in December in Wuhan, China, a city of 11 million people, is rapidly spreading across the globe, including the first U.S. case diagnosed in a traveler in Washington state this week.

China has shut down travel including planes, trains, buses and ferries among several major cities including Beijing and Wuhan, attempting to quarantine 25 million people, the Washington Post reports.

Guan Yi, a virologist who helped identify the sever acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, says the epidemic of this newly discovered virus could be 10 times bigger than the SARS outbreak. Comparing it to past outbreaks of other viruses, Guan said that “this time, I’m petrified,” the Washington Post reports.

To date, the new coronavirus has been confirmed in China, the U.S., Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Macao, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.  Officially, Chinese officials report 835 people infected and at least 26 deaths, though experts indicate the number of cases is likely far higher.

In the U.S., all flights from Wuhan are being routed through five airports in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Atlanta, where all passengers are being screened for the disease.

The timing could hardly be worse; the Lunar New Year holiday, a week-long celebration when millions of Chinese travel to their hometowns in what the Washington Post reports is the biggest human migration on the planet, begins this Saturday, January 25.

By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office

Video by Andy Tolley

May 23, 2019 (San Diego) - San Diego County Public Health officials are responding to an influenza outbreak among asylum seekers recently flown to San Diego from Texas by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office

Image credit:  PhotoSpin

April 7, 2019 (San Diego) - Like the rest of the nation, influenza activity in the San Diego region remains elevated and widespread, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced today.

Reports of lab-confirmed influenza dropped last week to 564 cases from the season high of 692 cases the week before. A new flu death was reported last week, bringing this season’s total to 55. At the same time last season, 325 people had died from complications from the flu.

By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office

April 2, 2018 (San Diego) - Even though we’re approaching the end of March, influenza activity in the region is still elevated and people should continue getting vaccinated, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced today.

East County News Service

January 31, 2018 (San Diego) -- The flu is taking a deadly toll locally. Last week, 32 people died of the flu in San Diego County, including a 10-year-old boy. 

So far this season, 206 flu deaths have been reported, according to County Health and Human Services Agency announced today.

By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office

Video by James Kecskes

January 3, 2018 (San Diego) - A 12-month-old baby is one of 34 new flu deaths recently reported in San Diego, bringing this season’s total to 45, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced today.

The infant died Dec. 31, 2017. The ages of the deceased this flu season range from 1 to 100 years. All the people who died, for whom there is information available, had underlying medical conditions.

East County News Service

November 26, 2017 (San Diego) -- Flu cases in San Diego County are at triple the level over last year, and four people have died so far this season, County Health and Human Services Agency has announced.

Source: County of San Diego Communications Office

December 12, 2016 (San Diego) -- If you’re planning on attending your work holiday party or other gatherings with family and friends, the County urges that you make sure you don’t bring an uninvited guest: the flu.

East County News Service

December 2, 2014 (San Diego) -- The County is reminding residents that the best way to protect yourself and your family from influenza is to get your flu shot.