Katharine Gallagher, 27, Dies of the Flu After Boyfriend Finds Her Unconscious in Bathroom

She's not the only person to lose their life as a result of the deadly virus.

The nasty strain of the flu virus currently plaguing America has claimed dozens of lives nationwide. 

Among them is Katharine Gallagher, 27. Her death came with shocking speed, just a few days after she first showed symptoms. 

Her boyfriend, Brendan Carey, found her unconscious in their Tustin, Calif., bathroom on Dec. 5. Later that day, she was dead.

"People need to take this seriously," Carey told Inside Edition. "It is just the flu, but it is not just the flu, and I am living testimony of having to find my girlfriend deceased."

It was later revealed that Gallagher had severe acute bronchial pneumonia, a complication of the virus.

Her mother told People magazine that she did not have a flu shot before getting sick. 

The CDC has said that although a flu shot is not 100 percent effective, it can lessen someone’s chances of getting the virus by 10 to 60 percent. 

Some hospitals are inundated with patients experiencing the flu. One hospital in Loma Linda, Calif., set up a triage tent outside to deal with the surge of patients.

30 children have died from the flu epidemic.

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