Tagged: Ohio Department of Health

The Ohio Department of Health is reporting a spike in the number of people hospitalized with influenza this year compared to last year.

Department spokeswoman Shannon Libby says it's early to see this much flu activity, with cases typically going up in January or February.

The Columbus Dispatch reported Tuesday that 863 Ohioans have been hospitalized with influenza this season, compared with just 65 by this time last season.

The paper says totals from early October through Dec. 22 included 326 hospitalized across the state during the week of Dec. 16-22.    

The Ohio Department of Health reports that induced abortions dropped 12 percent last year, hitting the lowest number since the state started tracking them 35 years ago.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports that abortions have fallen in Ohio each year since 2000. Experts attribute it to a variety of factors, including increased use of birth control, better access to health care and improved health education.

The number of overall Ohio births also has fallen, 16.5 percent from 1990 to 2010.

The Ohio Department of Health says the number of meningitis cases linked to recalled steroid injections has risen to nine in the state.

The health department says five cases have been reported in Marion County, and one case each in Crawford, Hamilton, Morrow and Warren counties. None have died.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that 19 people have died among the 247 sickened in 15 states in the outbreak of rare fungal meningitis. They all received shots of an apparently contaminated steroid medication made by a Massachusetts specialty pharmacy.