COEUR d’ALENE — A North Idaho woman over the age of 60 has become the first resident in the state to die due to the flu this season.

“We cannot provide the exact age, city or county (of the victim) in this case,” said Melanie Collett, Panhandle Health District spokeswoman. “If our epidemiologists believe more specific information will help someone identify a patient or victim, we will err on the side of caution because that information is HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) protected.”

Last year there were eight people in the five northern counties and 32 statewide who died from complications of the flu.

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