Maryland health officials confirm first flu-related pediatric death

Statewide, 132 people have died from the flu so far this season. Nationally, the flu has been raging in every state in the continental United States.

More than 50 children in the US have died from the flu during the 2017-18 season.

“We’ve had number schools that have had as little as ten to twenty to hundreds plus so we’ve had quite a bit of flu activity in our district”.

Maryland health officials detected the first lab-confirmed cases of seasonal flu in November 2017.

Barbera said that the added flu site frees up space and provides those patients with more efficient care so they aren’t waiting in the emergency department for hours.

“In my personal experience, there’s a strong correlation to, if you suddenly feel like you got hit by a truck, you probably have the flu”. It will be hard to carry out your normal daily routine with the flu, and the fever will often last between three to five days, with tiredness and fatigue lasting up to two to three weeks. “She couldn’t even walk, so we took her into the ER and they admitted her”. After that, comes Influenza B, which tends to circulate from March until May.

“It is not too late to get vaccinated”, Dr. Eden Wells, chief medical executive for MDHHS said in a statement.

“There is no shortage in flu vaccines”, said Senior Human Services Program Manager Jylmarie Lewis.

The flu season is estimated to run from December through March annually, although you can get the flu at any time of the year.

Call SHAC at 505-277-3136 to schedule an appointment for a flu shot. They also recommend washing hands, covering coughs and staying home when sick to stop the spread of illnesses. This number does not include the many others who have opted not to go to the hospital to tough it out, or those who have made a decision to self-medicate at the comfort of their own homes.

Contact your healthcare provider for management of flu symptoms or treatment of any complications.

If you or anyone you know have the following symptoms, go to the doctor immediately.