Florida Child Dies From Flu, the First Young

Florida Child Dies From Flu, the primary Young Death Reported in the U.S. This Season

A child in Florida who had not received the flu vaccine died from the virus, state officials announced on Monday, the primary influenza-related pediatric death reported within the country this flu season.

While flu activity remains low across us, Florida Department of Health said that a toddler tested positive for one among the strains, influenza B, and later died.

Health officials would not release details about the death, including the child’s age, gender or location within the state, but said that the kid didn't have an underlying medical condition and died between Sept. 30 and Oct. 6.

The flu season, which just began and stretches into winter, typically peaks during the coldest months.

The death was notable because it occurred before any significant outbreaks in Florida or beyond and before many of us have even received the vaccination.

Federal health officials recommend getting the flu shot before the top of October.

It was not clear whether the kid didn't get the flu shot intentionally or whether the child had expected to receive it later within the season. A spokesman for the health department said that the state couldn't release more information about the case because of privacy concerns.

“While rare, these deaths do occur per annum, mostly in unvaccinated children with underlying health conditions,” the spokesman, Brad Dalton, said in an email on Tuesday.

“Annual vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from influenza and its potentially severe complications.”

Florida health officials said that the child’s death did not necessarily portend a deadly flu season in the state.

Last season, quite 80,000 Americans died of the flu, the very best toll in over a decade, federal health officials recently said.

Of the total, only 180 were young children and teenagers, including eight in Florida.

The deadliest strain last season was H3N2, a subtype of the influenza A virus that is often the most deadly of the four typical seasonal strains.

It is too early to know yet which strains, influenza A or B, will emerge because the deadliest this season, health officials said.

“Influenza seasons vary in timing, severity, and length,” officials at the Florida Department of Health said during a statement on Monday, adding that a number of cases was expected to climb in the coming weeks.

“It is not possible to predict what the 2018-19 influenza the season will be like in Florida.”

While the Florida child is the first reported pediatric death within the country, about 30 adults died from the flu nationwide in September and thousands more died from pneumonia, which is a common complication of the flu, consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Before the child’s death was announced on Monday, the C.D.C. had not reported any influenza-related deaths among children.

The flu vaccine within us this year protects against a minimum of three strains of the flu, including two sorts of influenza A and one influenza B, according to the C.D.C. Despite pleas from health officials to urge the shot, about 58 percent of youngsters ages 6 months to 17 got it last season, down two percentage points from 2015-16, the federal government said.