Puerto Rico has announced a flu epidemic due to a significant increase in cases. Since July, there have been 42 fatalities and over 900 individuals hospitalized.
Health officials in Puerto Rico have announced a flu epidemic in the U.S. territory on Thursday.
Health Secretary Carlos Mellado stated that there have been a minimum of 25,900 reported cases, including 42 fatalities and over 900 individuals being hospitalized, on the island of 3.2 million people since July.
Melissa Marzán, an epidemiologist, pointed out that there has been a nearly six-fold increase in cases this year compared to the same time frame last year, according to officials.
Mellado reported that the age group most impacted has been individuals between 0 and 19 years old, with over 13,600 cases recorded within this demographic.
According to health authorities, there is an abundant supply of vaccines, tests, and treatments on the island.
In 2015, there were a total of 53,708 reported cases of influenza in Puerto Rico.