Pierce County Flu Epidemic Claims Child

PUYALLUP, WA - Health officials are reporting that a child under 10-years-old has died of flu in Pierce County, one of more than a dozen people in the area who have succumbed to the virus during an especially strong influenza season.

A total of 17 people have died in Pierce County since the week of Dec. 31, health officials reported Wednesday, including the child. Twelve of those deaths have occurred since Jan. 7. Most of the people who have died are over age 60, although two have been in their 40s.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), flu is "widespread" across Washington state.

“Unfortunately, a young child in Pierce County has become one of the thousands of people who die every year because of the flu,” Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Nurse Epidemiologist Matthew Rollosson said in a statement. “The flu is far worse than a bad cold and in this case the virus has claimed a young life."

This flu season has been especially deadly. During the 2015-16 season, 15 people died in Pierce County in total. Twenty-five died in the season before that, although the flu vaccine was poorly matched for the strains of flu that were circulating. The flu season typically lasts until April.

This year's flu has hit senior citizens especially hard, with flu outbreaks reported at 23 long-term care facilities. However, positive tests for flu have decreased recently, health officials say.

Learn more about flu and why you should still get a flu shot on the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department's influenza page.

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