(AP) -- A Richland County man has become the first person in South Carolina to die from influenza this season.
WVOC-AM in Columbia reported that Jim Beasley with the Department of Health and Environmental Control said the man died in the past week. His name has not been released.
State health officials say this has been a relatively mild flu season.
Twenty people died from influenza during the last flu season. Officials say flu cases typically peak in February or March. Beasley says it's still important to take precautions, including getting flu shots.
(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
