RALEIGH -- A six-year-old child who was particularly vulnerable because of a medical condition has become the first child in North Carolina to die from complications of the flu this season.
The child died Feb. 4, according to state health officials. The Department of Health and Human Services announced the death today, but did not give the child’s name, gender, hometown or county to protect the family’s privacy.
Flu is especially dangerous to the very young, the elderly and those with a host of medical conditions. Among the long list of conditions that raise the risk of death: anemia; asthma; diabetes; chronic heart; lung or kidney disease; or a weakened immune system from, say, an HIV infection or cancer therapy.
Also, pregnant women face a higher risk.
Influenza kills about 25,000 people each year in the United States and sends about 220,000 to the hospital.
About half the children who died last year had no known risk factors.
The flu season in North Carolina has been relatively mild this year compared to the last two, but the number of cases has begun its typical deep-winter climb in recent weeks.
The most effective way to prevent flu is to get vaccinated, and health officials say that it’s not too late to still have a good chance of warding off the sickness with a shot.
“It is not too late to get your flu shot because flu season can last well into the spring,” said Dr. Laura Gerald, the state health director. “If you do get sick, remember to stay home from work or school while you are sick, cover coughs and sneezes, and — most important — wash your hands.”
For more information about flu and to find a flu vaccine clinic near you, visit flu.nc.gov.
