Kentucky's first flu-related death of new season confirmed in Lexington

Flu season is here. Lexington health officials say the city has its first flu-related death. Last year the city saw 27 deaths and more than 700 confirmed flu cases.

"There's no treatment for the flu," Dr. Ryan Stanton, a Lexington ER physician, said. "Our only fight against this is prevention."

Kevin Hall, spokesperson for the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, said, "We were reporting flu deaths during derby time."

We've only gotten a couple month break from it. The flu, paired with other complications, has taken the life of a Lexingtonian.

Nationwide, last year was the worst for flu-related deaths in decades.

"80,000 deaths, that's the most that the U.S. has had since the late 1970s, so you're looking at 40 years," Hall said.

Stanton added, "So we have more people dying from the flu and its complications every year, twice as much as we see in car accidents, over twice as much, and yet every time we get in the car we put on our seatbelts, we make sure the airbags are functioning because we know they help us. They don't protect us 100 percent, but they help us."

Because there's no real treatment for the flu, Stanton urges folks to get vaccinated, saying it's your best bet in prevention.

"If you've seen how folks feel when they come into me in the emergency department and they feel like that for 5-7 days, it's plenty of motivation for folks to get their vaccine," he said. "We have stuff out there to help it and just ignoring it and not doing anything is just basically rolling the dice and hope that you don't come up 'snake eyes.'"

Hall said, "Do it for yourself. Do it for your friends. Do it for that unknown person that's sitting next to you at a ballgame."

Health leaders are urging a flu shot for everyone six months and older. Those who are 65 or older are most at risk from the flu.

The health department is offering free flu shots from 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. Thursday.