State announces first child flu death

North Carolina has reported its first child flu death for the 2013-14 season.

An infant in the eastern part of the state died on Monday from complications with influenza. The infant’s hometown, county and sex were not released. The child was too young to receive a flu vaccination, state health officials said.

This season, 22 people have died from the flu; 19 were young and middle-aged adults. Most had underlying medical conditions. Only two deaths were of people over 65.

With flu season peaking in January and February, health officials are expecting high levels of flu activity.

From the CDC:

• Children 6 months and older should get the flu vaccine.
• Children younger than 6 months cannot get the flu vaccine. Here are prevention tips to keep them healthy.
• Parents and caregivers of children younger than 5 or with chronic health conditions should get the flu vaccine.
• If your child is younger than 5 or has any chronic health conditions and experiences flu-like symptoms contact a health care provider as soon as possible.