Quote:
or some other reason, like weather,changed method
to write death certificates, other doctors that write
death certificates, other method to measure
P+I, new hospital, more critical P+I patients from outside
El Paso choosing their hospitals,
increased air pollution
Texas is having a near-record year for wildfires. There has been a huge fire, over 200,000 acres, burning in far west Texas for a couple of weeks. The combined acreage burning across the state has an area larger than the state of Rhode Island.
My father-in-law lives near the hill country in central Texas and has said that he can't see the hills for the haze.
Most of Texas is under extreme drought/ fire ban conditions.
There would be a lot of airborne particles since everything is so dry.
Re: fires
http://www.ketknbc.com/news/wednesday-wildfire-update-3I don't know how many cases of pneumonia started as viral illnesses, but it may well be an exceptional year so far for bad air conditions in El Paso exacerbating lung conditions.
It is also worth noting that the VAST majoity of influenza infections and deaths are NOT tested (and this applies to the entire world). There is NO mandatory testing or reportng for influenza in adults (and the index case, 26M, in Chihuahua DIED and tested NEGATIVE).