BILLINGS — Health officials have confirmed two more influenza-related deaths in Yellowstone County.
The Billings Gazette reports that a child and an adult have died since Monday, bringing the county’s total in the past week to three deaths from the illness.
RiverStone Health CEO John Felton says all three people who died have had laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1, commonly called swine flu.
Felton says the flu season can run through spring and can pose serious health risks, but H1N1 is not typically a severe disease. He says vaccines are still available in Billings and those interested should contact their health care provider.
Statewide, there have been nine flu-related deaths for the 2015-16 season as of Friday. There were 24 total deaths statewide in the previous year.