BALTIMORE (AP) - Maryland health officials say they've confirmed the state's first case of influenza this season.
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced Thursday that the first laboratory-confirmed case was diagnosed in an adult in the Baltimore area, who was not hospitalized. Officials say the patient was sickened by a strain that is included in this year's influenza vaccine formulation.
Health officials warn that the contagious respiratory disease can cause serious complications or death and urge people to get vaccinated.
The virus that causes influenza spreads from person to person through coughing or sneezing and direct contact with infected people and contaminated objects. Common symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and fatigue and usually begin one to four days after exposure.
