The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting the first influenza-associated pediatric death for the 2019–2020 flu season.

A child in the western part of the state died in December from complications associated with influenza infection. To protect the family’s privacy, no further information regarding this child will be released.

Deaths attributed to flu doubled in a week. In North Carolina in the week ending Jan. 4, 20 adult flu-associated deaths have been reported in North Carolina during the current flu season, with 14 of those being in people over 65 years of age.

State epidemiologist Dr. Zack Moore said, “these personal losses are also a reminder for all of us that flu can be a serious illness. We want to encourage people to protect themselves and others by getting their annual flu shot.”

Flu shots are widely available at a variety of health care settings. To find a location near you, use the Flu Vaccine Finder at flu.nc.gov.

Certain groups are at higher risk for serious illness from flu, including children younger than five, pregnant women, people over 65 and those with certain chronic medical conditions, such as heart or lung disease. However, over half of the children who die from flu have no known medical condition that would put them at higher risk.

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