Mississippi Influenza 2017-18: 5 fatalities, including 1 child

[JimO]

2-year-old Sumrall girl dies from flu complications


A 2-year-old Sumrall girl diagnosed with the flu has died, Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict said Monday.

The girl was diagnosed with the flu strain B a day or two earlier and was brought to a Hattiesburg hospital Sunday, where she was later died from complications, including pneumonia, Benedict said.

According to the Mississippi State Department of Health's website, nationwide there have been 20 flu-related pediatric deaths reported to the Centers for Disease Control during the 2017-18 season as of Jan. 6, the most recent report available. None of those deaths was in Mississippi.

Of those 20 cases, 14 were from flu strain A and six from flu strain B.

 

[JimO]

[h=3]The flu is turning deadly in South Mississippi, ER doctor says. Here?s what you need to know[/h] [FONT=&quot] BY ANITA LEE
January 22, 2018 12:56 PM
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The flu is raging in South Mississippi, swamping emergency rooms and, in some cases, killing people.
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[FONT=&quot] ?The strains are pretty dangerous this year given the fact that the vaccine wasn?t really effective,? said Simal Patel, medical director of the emergency department at Garden Park Medical Center in Gulfport.

Patel said Garden Park has seen at least four deaths from the flu this season in adults between the ages of 20 and 50 years old. The Mississippi Health Department reports only pediatric influenza deaths, with none recorded as of Jan. 6, the last date for which information was publicly available.

However, the Hattiesburg American reported Monday that a 2-year-old girl from Sumrall died as a result of complications of the flu strain B. She was brought to Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg on Sunday and died later that day.


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[Ronan Kelly]

Health Officials Confirm Third Pediatric Flu Death of 2017-2018 Season
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March 20, 2018

Jackson, Miss. The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) reports the third confirmed pediatric influenza death for the 2017-2018 flu season. The death occurred in an individual from Central Mississippi. Pediatric deaths are defined as deaths of individuals under 18 years of age.


Including this reported death, there have been a total of 19 pediatric flu deaths reported in Mississippi since pediatric flu deaths became reportable in the 2008-2009 flu season. Nationwide, as of March 10, 2018, there have been 128 pediatric flu deaths reported this season, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State Epidemiologist Dr. Byers said while influenza activity has greatly decreased over the past few weeks, we continue to receive reports of new flu cases. Peak flu season in Mississippi typically lasts from January through March.
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https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/23,19673,341.html