After taking a year off in 2020, flu season in the US is back with vengeance, leading to truckloads of hospitalizations and also two reported child deaths.
As if COVID-19 wasn’t enough, the chilly US winters have brought back the flu, making it a major cause for concern for the elderly and young children. As of now, two child deaths have already been reported and the number may rise if adequate care is not taken with regards to masking and isolation.
Source: Healthline (Noam Galai / Getty Images)
“This is setting itself up to be more of a normal flu season,” said Lynnette Brammer, who tracks flu-like illnesses for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The childhood deaths, Brammer said, are “unfortunately what we would expect when flu activity picks up. It’s a sad reminder of how severe flu can be.” The flu season has always been grim for children with death in 2019 totaling 199 and 144 the year before that.
In CDC figures released Monday, currently, the states with high flu activity are New Mexico, Kansas, Indiana, New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia, and North Dakota. According to Brammer, with hospitals already stretched by COVID-19, it’s more important than ever to get a flu shot and take other precautions.
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