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health the spread of the flu T
he first flu-related death in Spokane County was reported last week, and a school in Troy, Idaho, closed for a day because too many students were sick. It’s been a bad flu season so far all over the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks the spread of the flu each year with weekly reports from state epidemiologists. Weekly flu surveillance levels
Nov. 3
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Barack Obama was officially inaugurated into his second term, delivering a wide-ranging speech that promised to make climate change a top priority.
Dec. 15
LOCAL Sporadic None reported
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Does it still help at this point to get vaccinated? Yes, it helps as long as the flu is still circulating. The good news is that there’s no vaccine shortage reported so far this year. Who is most at risk? Older people are getting hit hardest, but even healthy teens and adults have been among this year’s fatalities.
Militants seized a BP gas plant in Algeria, sparking a hostage crisis that left 37 hostages and many militants dead. Trouble continued in bordering Mali, as the French troops pushed back Islamic militants. Dec. 29
Jan. 12
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Humiliating truths came out in sports. Notre Dame football player Manti Te’o’s supposed girlfriend — who Teo said died tragically of leukemia — never existed. Meanwhile, cyclist Lance Armstrong admitted to Oprah, that, yes, he’d been doping, and yes, he’d repeatedly bullied people who claimed he was.
What keeps it from spreading? The flu is a respiratory virus, so mouth-covering and hand-washing are smart habits. If there’s no soap and water available, opt for an alcoholbased hand sanitizer. And if you feel like you might be coming down with the flu, stay home and avoid contact with people. story and Graphics by Lisa Waananen
Source: CDC
“We have also had some unfortunate incidents here in this city. I apologize for that, too.” — Police Chief Frank Straub apologizing on behalf of law enforcement for historic civil rights violations nationwide and in Spokane during the city’s Martin Luther King Day celebrations.
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16 INLANDER JANUARY 24, 2013
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An 18-year-old University of Idaho student left a frat party Saturday, wandered around disoriented, fell into a creek bed and then tried to find shelter under a bridge, authorities say. He was found dead in the morning. Another student, in an unrelated incident, shot himself in his dorm room. In less than a half-hour, there were three different shootings in Spokane Monday morning: one near the Knitting Factory, and two on Maple Street.
Widespread Regional
The Big News of the Past Week
GUNS: Last week we brought you the story of the AR-15, an assault weapon adored by average Joes and a few mass murderers. Check our blog for a behind-the-scenes look at balancing such a loaded topic. FOOD: What the hell is this Restaurant Week thing? We’ve got the deets.