Stanislaus County Public Health has received notification of an adult male, younger than 50, dying from influenza (flu). This is the county’s first flu-related death of an individual under the age of 65 during the 2025-2026 flu season. Due to patient privacy, further details about the individual will not be released.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of the man who passed away from flu. It serves as a stark reminder that flu is unpredictable and can be very dangerous even for younger adults,” said Dr. Thea Papasozomenos, the Stanislaus County Public Health Officer. “Getting a yearly flu vaccine is the best way to reduce your risk of flu and its potentially serious outcomes. Practicing good respiratory etiquette can also help protect you and reduce the spread of flu and other respiratory infections. We urge everyone to take flu prevention seriously to help reduce the spread and impact of this virus in our community.”
To help stop the spread of flu viruses, Public Health strongly recommends that everyone take these precautions:
Get vaccinated to prevent influenza and its complications. It is not too late to get vaccinated since flu season can last until spring.
Practice good respiratory etiquette: Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of your elbow.
Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after coughing or sneezing.
Stay home if you have flu-like symptoms. Staying home when sick helps prevent the virus from spreading.
If you start to feel flu symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, and tiredness, contact your healthcare provider to ask about the need for testing and antiviral medicine. Antiviral medicines can help lessen the severity and duration of the flu if taken within 48 hours of symptoms starting. Antiviral medicine is particularly important for high-risk groups, including young children, older adults, pregnant women, and those with underlying health conditions.
To help ease the strain on emergency rooms, people are encouraged to consider seeing primary care doctors or urgent care centers for non-emergency issues. Over-the-counter flu test kits and other testing services are available at many retail pharmacies. For more information on flu prevention contact your primary medical provider, local pharmacy, schsa.org/influenza or the CDC’s influenza resource page at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.html.
