By Associated Press
Oklahoma City, OK – 13 deaths now attributed to swine flu in Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) State health officials say 13 Oklahomans have now died of swine flu and the number of serious cases of the illness is rising.
The most recent deaths include an infant in Tulsa who was less than 6-months-old, a child in Carter Count, a Le Flore County man, a Noble County man and a Tulsa woman. State epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley says three of the deaths were a result of secondary infections that occurred after flu symptoms subsided.
The state Health Department reports 181 Oklahomans were hospitalized last week to bring the total number since Sept. 1 to 504. Sixty-one percent of those hospitalizations have been in patients younger than 19.
Oklahoma has received about 120,000 doses of vaccine and it's being targeted at schoolchildren and pregnant women.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.