BOSTON (WHDH) - Massachusetts health officials announced Tuesday that a girl from Middlesex County has died from a flu-related illness, the third flu-associated pediatric death in the Bay State this season.
The death marks the second girl to die in Middlesex County this year, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed. A 4-year-old girl passed away in early February.
A 12-year-old boy from Milford who died in late January was the season’s first death.
Tuesday’s announcement did not include details regarding the victim’s age or hometown.
Officials say this year’s flu season appears to mirror last year’s in that activity is widespread and severe.
In a statement, Dr. Larry Madoff, the director of epidemiology and immunization in the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences at the Massachusetts Department of Health said, “January and February are typically the height of the flu season, and flu-related complications can result in very serious, life-threatening illness and even death, among both children and adults. These deaths are tragic and are a reminder of the dangers of flu and the importance of flu vaccination, our best protection against illness. The Department of Public Health urges people to get vaccinated, to wash their hands, cover their cough and sneeze and stay home when sick to limit the spread of disease.”
There was one flu-associated pediatric death in Massachusetts in 2018.
For more information on how you can protect yourself against influenza, go to mass.gov/flu.
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