Minn. Records 2nd Flu Death Of Season

ST. PAUL (AP) - Minnesota has recorded its second flu-related death of the season.

Officials say a woman in her 90s with underlying health problems died of complication from the flu. She was the second Minnesotan to die of the flu in two weeks.

Hospitalizations due to flu in Minnesota continue to rise. More than 120 Minnesotans were hospitalized with the flu last week - nearly twice the number of the week before.

Kris Ehresmann, director of infectious diseases at the Minnesota Department of Health, says the numbers confirm that the winter flu season is off to an early start.

Ehresmann says after several years of unusually mild flu seasons, "this season could seem more severe just because it's normal."

Last winter, 33 flu-related deaths were reported in Minnesota.