Flu Kills 13-Year-Old Girl In Northeast Ohio

A 13-year-old girl has been killed by the flu, according to the Cleveland Department of Public Health. This is the second pediatric death from the flu this season.

Cuyahoga County continues to have, by far, the most flu-related hospitalizations, according to Ohio Department of Health data. There have been at least 475 hospitalizations in Cuyahoga so far this flu season.

The first pediatric flu death in Ohio this season was in Highland County. A 3-year-old was killed there on Feb. 5.

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The 13-year-old becomes only the second pediatric flu death of the 2018-2019 season, according to Fox 8.

Nationally, at least 34 children have died from flu-related causes, with six child deaths reported in the week ending on Feb.9, according to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu activity continues to increase and the disease is now widespread in all but two states in the U.S. New national data on the flu season should be released soon.

The H1N1 virus (swine flu) continues to be the predominant strain in most of the country while the H3N2 virus is most prevalent in the Southeast. FDA Director Scott Gottlieb has said that the H1N1 strain tends to peak late in the season but that the vaccine to protect against it has an effectiveness of 60 percent or greater.

According to the CDC, symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever or feeling feverish/chills (Though not everyone with flu will have a fever)
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.

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