After the second confirmed death of an Iowa child from influenza, some families are wondering if they should be worried about the disease this winter. But though we’re seeing it earlier, the public health department’s Kevin Teale says every year in Iowa, pneumonia and flu claim hundreds of lives, including a few children.The Centers for Disease Control tell health departments that the first states to report cases of flu — California and Texas — now report it’s already declining, so perhaps the season’s just hitting early this winter. It normally peaks in January, but he says by then we could be seeing the annual outbreak winding down. Anyone can fight the disease, Teale says, by observing precautions like handwashing and covering up coughs and sneezes. Eating well, drinking plenty of fluids, and not getting run down to the point where your body will let an infection take hold.
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