Minnesota State Health Officials Confirm Second Pediatric Flu Death

March 14, 2008 -- The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has confirmed that a five-year-old girl in the Twin Cities metro area has died from complications of influenza. This is the state’s second pediatric influenza-related death of the 2007-2008 influenza season.

The first death occurred in a 12-year-old, unvaccinated child with a chronic underlying medical condition. The girl who died in the most recent case had received a flu shot, but not until after she was already ill.

“This child's death does not necessarily indicate that children are at higher risk this year for developing potentially fatal complications from influenza,” said Kristen Ehresmann, section manager for immunizations at MDH. “We have no evidence that the flu strains in circulation this year are unusually virulent, or that they pose an unusual risk for children.”

The child who died earlier was infected with an A strain of the influenza virus. The child in the more recent case was infected with influenza B. No information is available at this point about how well the two strains matched this year’s influenza vaccine.

Pediatric influenza deaths are uncommon among children, but they do occasionally occur. In Minnesota, number of pediatric flu deaths in a given year can range from a few to none at all. During the 2006-2007 influenza season, six pediatric influenza-related deaths were reported in Minnesota. Nationally, as of March 1, 32 pediatric influenza-related deaths had been reported during the current season.

“Influenza always has the potential to cause serious illness and even death, especially among the very young and the very old,” Ehresmann said. “That’s why we recommend vaccination so strongly. It’s your best protection against the flu,”

Anticipating increased interest in vaccination, MDH is again asking local public health agencies to work with health care providers in their area to determine the availability of influenza vaccine, and discuss the possibility of holding public vaccination clinics. Health care providers can still order flu vaccine from their usual manufacturers or distributors. Ehresmann emphasized that it’s not too late to get vaccinated against the flu. “We are still seeing a lot of influenza activity in Minnesota,” she said.

Although some of the flu strains in circulation this year are not a perfect match for the vaccine, vaccination is still highly recommended. Even if a particular strain isn’t a perfect match, it’s still likely to be close enough to one of the vaccine strains for the vaccine to provide good protection. Even if a vaccinated person gets the flu, it’s likely that the resulting illness will be much less severe.

People can also reduce the spread of influenza by frequently washing their hands, staying home when they’re ill, and covering their faces with a sleeve or a paper tissue when they cough or sneeze.

Additional information about influenza – and where to find a flu shot clinic – is available on the MDH Web site at www.mdhflu.com.

Source: Minnesota Department of Health

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