Health officials urge flu shots after season’s first influenza death

The news comes as health workers prepare for another in a series of Fresno County immunization clinics, Saturday at Sierra Vista Mall in Clovis.

A parent or guardian must be present for those younger than 18 years old.

For more information about the flu, check out Stanislaus County’s page about the virus.

According to a Stanislaus County announcement, the child died Tuesday and had a few “underlying medical conditions”. Officials did not release the child’s name or city of residence. Symptoms may include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body aches.

Health officials recommend flu vaccinations for adults and children 6 months or older.

The vaccine was updated to better match two of those strains, said Dr. David Blythe, director of the state health department’s infectious diseases bureau.

Other precautions to prevent the spread of influenza include hand-washing; not touching your eyes or nose; coughing into your sleeve; and staying home when sick. “It doesn’t have to”.

Such deaths are reported to the state only involving victims younger than 65, so the actual number of deaths due to influenza was much greater because older people are especially vulnerable to the flu, officials said.

“It is important for Stanislaus County residents receive the annual flu vaccine and take other preventive measures to reduce the spread of illness and help prevent further loss of life”, Nanyonjo added. “To protect babies who can not yet be vaccinated, we should get our flu shots”, she said. That strain also mutated slightly between the time last year’s vaccine was determined and the flu season began, according to a state health department report.