First Flu-Related Death of the Season Strikes Allegheny County

An unidentified 25 year-old Allegheny County man is the first to die from the flu in the region this season. Because of the man's young age, Allegheny County Health Department officials looked into the possibility the man also suffered from other illnesses. A staph infection was found in the blood stream and pneumonia in the lungs, along with influenza. ACHD spokesman Guillermo Cole says its impossible to tell which ailment played the largest role in his death. Reported cases of the flu in Allegheny County are down this year from 330 cases in 2008, to only 122 cases, though officials believe hundreds of cases go undocumented each year.