Nebraska state health officials Friday reported the first confirmed flu-related deaths of the season in the state.Due to privacy laws, the state can say only that both people were over 65. One was from the Lincoln area and the other was from the North Central district, comprised of Antelope, Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Holt, Keya Paha, Knox, Pierce and Rock Counties. “Flu can be a life-threatening disease for some people and it can make any of us sick. All it takes is getting the flu once and you have a whole new appreciation of its health importance,” said Dr. Tom Safranek, State Epidemiologist with DHHS. “Flu vaccine is our best protection against the flu and it’s recommended for everyone 6 months and older.” The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services says flu activity is slowly increasing across the state.