Child, 5, Dies As Jersey City School Warns About Virus: Reports

A 5-year-old child has died and a New Jersey school district is warning about a possible virus spreading, according to reports.

The a 5-year-old kindergarten student, whose name was not revealed, died this week because of undisclosed reasons. The School 16 community in Jersey City is mourning the child's death, according to The Jersey Journal. School and city officials were tight-lipped about the student's death.

The school district's spokeswoman says the child's parents have asked for privacy, according to the report. An email, however, was sent to parents Tuesday saying the district had concerns about a virus spreading.

The email, from the elementary school's principal, says the school's communal areas were all sanitized, a nurse visited each classroom to encourage students to wash their hands frequently and cough into their sleeves, and a health official allowed the school to remain open, according to the report.

Two children have died in New Jersey this season because of the flu. State officials have expressed their grief as the number of flu cases reported in New Jersey hit 10,000 last month – more than doubling last year's number. It's the highest number of flu cases the state has had in 15 years.

In a news release last month, Acting Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal and Acting Commissioner of Education Lamont Repollet said they were saddened to learn about the impact of the flu.

"Stopping the spread of the flu remains a critical public health priority, which is why we have recently launched a significant public awareness campaign within my first few weeks on the job. We take every reported case of a pediatric flu-associated death very seriously," said Elnahal.

This is a developing story. We'll have more information as it comes in.

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