Two Massachusetts children have died from flu-related complications in the first week of February, while just one child died from the virus in the state last year.
The children were reported to be a 4-year-old girl from Framingham and a 12-year-old boy from Milford. This year’s flu season appears to mirror last year’s flu in terms of spread and severity, according to the DPH.
Paul Mazzuchelli, a health officer in the Milford Health Department, said while he did not know whether the male middle school student was vaccinated or had any pre-existing conditions, he was saddened by the news of the boy’s passing.
“Tt’s very unfortunate and very sad to even lose a child, let alone to something that’s really common as the flu,” Mazzuchelli said.
Larry Madoff, director of epidemiology and immunization at DPH’s Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, said in an statement that the influenza virus has the potential to be dangerous and that Massachusetts residents should take every precaution to avoid getting sick and spreading the disease.
“January and February are typically the height of the flu season, and flu-related complications can result in very serious, life-threatening illness and even death, among both children and adults,” Madoff said in the statement. “These deaths are tragic and are a reminder of the dangers of flu and the importance of flu vaccination, our best protection against illness.”
In order to combat the spread of the flu, Madoff said that the way to protect people and those around them is to get this season’s flu vaccine and follow basic guidelines for personal hygiene.
“The Department of Public Health urges people to get vaccinated, to wash their hands, cover their cough and sneeze and stay home when sick to limit the spread of disease,” he said.
Mazzuchelli said while the best time to get vaccinated is in October when the flu season is just beginning, he still encouraged people to go in for a flu shot regardless of the time of year to combat the infectious disease.
“There’s really no magic bullet, it’s a virus and it’s something that is very easy to pick up from the first person to the other,” Mazzuchelli said. “And like I said, if you do get the vaccine, it usually cuts your risk — even in a period where the vaccine isn’t effective, it will still your chances by at least half.”
Dr. Brian Yun, medical director of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Emergency Department Observation Unit, said while it is impossible to fully prevent the flu’s spread as the virus becomes contagious one day before symptoms start appearing, the vaccine can still help victims recover more quickly.
“With the influenza vaccination, it not only decreases your risk of getting infected by the flu, but it also decreases the symptoms of your flu,” Yun said. “That can be important if you’re in the extreme of ages, both younger and older.”
Every flu season, the DPH estimates that 250 to 1,100 Massachusetts residents die from flu-related complications each year, out of a national total of approximately 12,000 to 56,000 deaths annually.
Trevor Wright, 25, of Brighton, said that he was not concerned about influenza becoming a widespread problem, as he trusted that the flu vaccine would keep him and the majority of the vaccinated population healthy.
“As long as you get vaccinated you’re going to be fine,” Wright said. “You’re always going to have those freak accidents where somebody dies, but two people is nothing to worry about. I got vaccinated probably about a month ago, just in case, because I know the flu every year usually gets worse, and preventive measures is always a good thing.”
John Haukoos, 24, of Brighton, said he thinks the anti-vaccination movement is partially responsible for the two child deaths.
“We can attribute it to the rise of anti-vaxxers,” Haukoos said, “which is really unfortunate to the scientific movement that has been spreading across the country.”
Brookline resident Modar Al-Roomi, 28, said that people should be especially careful to maintain proper hygiene during flu season and utilize protective masks to try to both avoid getting sick and lessen the risk of infecting others.
“[The flu] should be something that everyone should be aware of and everyone should take precautions,” he said. “They should wash their hands, they should try to use hand sanitizer whenever they can, if they have symptoms of flu, they should try to use a mask at least, to avoid themselves from facing the flu itself or from infecting others.”
