10-Year-Old Boy Dies Of Flu Complications

(Editor's note: a previous version of this article said the boy was from Crystal Lake. A Barrington D220 school official told Patch this is untrue.)

PARK RIDGE, IL — A 10-year-old boy died on New Year's Eve of complications from the flu, according to reports. Johnny Towler was a fourth grader at Grove Avenue Elementary School in Barrington, CBS Chicago reported.

Johnny was being treated at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, CBS reported, where he was pronounced dead at 4:52 a.m. on New Year's Eve.

Dr. John Beckerman, a pediatrician who did not treat Johnny, told CBS Johnny's flu virus may have caused an inflammation of his heart muscle, which can be "serious or, as in this case, fatal... As sometimes happens different years, sometimes even people who’ve gotten the influenza vaccine still can come down with flu. The good news is those people tend not to be as sick as people who didn’t get the flu shot.”

The school is providing grief counselors for classmates and friends of Johnny's, as well as for students at Barrington High School, where Johnny's older sister is a junior.

“We understand Johnny’s family and many of his friends and their families will have difficulty coping with this sudden loss,” Barrington School District officials told parents in an email.

A Grove mother told CBS what it was like for her speaking to her third-grade daughter about coping with grief.

"It’s really difficult," Jackie Zagrans said. "You want to reassure your kid that they’re going to be okay, but also that it’s okay to be really sad that something really sad and really scary happened that doesn’t make sense to anybody. It's out of order. Kids aren’t supposed to get sick and die."

NPR reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said an average of 23,607 people die annually from the flu. So far this year, 13 children have died from the flu, according to the CDC. Beckerman said there has been an increase in flu cases at his office lately, CBS reported.

Flu cases are prevalent in the Chicago area as well, according to CBS. Forty-six flu cases were reported between Oct. 21 and Christmas Eve, but there have been more than 100 since Christmas.

Each year brings different flu strains, so public health experts try to ensure the vaccine for any given year protects against the correct strain. That's why vaccines don't always work. Even so, they still top the CDC's list of how to prevent the flu.

1. Get yourself and your family vaccinated.
2. Avoid contact with sick people, keep your hands clean and disinfect surfaces in your home.
3. If you doctor has prescribed you antivirals, take them.

Also Watch: Medical Experts Worried About This Flu Season

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