BIG RAPIDS, MI – On Friday, health officials reported that a child had died from influenza. This is the first child to die from the virus this flu season (2023–24).
The child got influenza A(H1N1), the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement on March 8. Officials say that 103 children have died across the country this season because of the flu.
The head doctor of the health department, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, said, “These are tragedies that no family should ever have to go through.” “Dozens of children in the United States die every year from the flu.”
Bagdasarian said these deaths are the main reason the department thinks everyone aged six months and up should get a yearly flu shot.
She said, “It’s the best way to keep yourself and your family from getting sick, and it makes the flu less bad if someone does get it.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that since October, between 20,000 and 57,000 people have died from influenza. This includes both adults and children. In the same time period, between 28 and 51 million people got the flu, according to the government.
According to the health department’s Michigan Flu Focus report, the number of flu-like illnesses in the state has gone up by 6% since last week. As of now, only about 24% of people living in Michigan have been vaccinated against the flu, and only 19% of children younger than 17 have been vaccine.
Anyone who wants to get a flu shot can talk to their doctor, go to vaccines.gov, or contact their local health service. Go to michigan.gov/flu to learn more about the flu.
Officials say that children and women who are pregnant should get the vaccine. People who are more likely to get major flu complications should check out the CDC website for advice.