The first pediatric influenza death in the state of Michigan for the 2018-19 season has been registered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
The child who died was a resident of Osceola County and was known to be infected with influenza A. Nationally, 6 children have actually died from the flu in this season.
MDHHS says that Michigan has had only localized flu activity till now, but they recommend that every child over 6 months of age should definitely get a seasonal flu vaccine.
“Flu vaccine is surely the best way to prevent anyone against the flu and can also help reducing the severity of flu illness,” a release told.
The 2017-18 flu season was definitely one of the most life-threatening since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Over 79,000 people actually died as a result of the flu in the last flu season. 185 of those were known to be children. In Michigan, 2 children died in 2017 due to the flu-related complications.
During the last flu season, only 39.5% of the residents of Michigan were vaccinated against flu, which is well below the national rate of 41.7%.
