A child died from flu complications just before the Christmas holiday weekend in DuPage County, health officials revealed Wednesday.
The DuPage County Health Department reported an adolescent died at some point during the week that ended on Dec. 24, marking the county's first pediatric flu death so far this season and the third such death in Illinois, according to the state's health department.
Nationally, 61 influenza-related pediatric deaths have been reported so far during the 2022-23 season, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
DuPage County said further information about the death would not be released in order to "protect confidentiality and privacy."
“We are deeply saddened to hear of this tragic death from influenza. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the child’s family,” Karen Ayala, executive director of the DuPage County Health Department, said in a statement. “Flu can seriously impact children and adolescents and can be especially hard on people of any age with underlying medical conditions, pregnant people, and people 65 years and older. Because flu activity is expected to remain elevated for several months, now is still a good time for children and adults to get an annual flu vaccine if not already vaccinated, and to take steps to protect those who may be at higher risk, including staying away from others when we are ill. It is not too late to get your annual flu vaccine, to help prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death related to flu.”
The department noted is has seen "early, and rapidly increasing flu activity" since October 2022. While many regions are reporting a decline in activity in recent days, "spread and hospitalizations related to respiratory illnesses, include influenza, remain moderate to high, locally and nationally," the DCHD stated.
After an alarming early and strong start, the number of flu hospital admissions began falling just ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend, according to a national surveillance system run by the CDC. And the percentage of doctor's office visits due to fever and other flu-like symptoms dropped for multiple weeks in a row.
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That trend was similar in Chicago, where the city's top doctor noted that hospitalizations are showing signs of decline for children up to 4 years old, but emergency room visits across ages remain high.
"They're decreasing for our very youngest Chicagoans 0 to 4, but they're still much higher than they've been previously and they remain high for those aged 5 to 17," Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said, adding "there's a lot of flu going around right now."
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Illinois remains under a "high" activity category, according to the CDC.
And the current decline doesn't mean flu will recede for the rest of the winter — second surges are common, said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious diseases expert.
“Viruses love to make you look foolish when you’re predicting what they’re going to do,” he said.
The annual winter flu season usually doesn’t get going until December or January, but this one took off in early November. It has been complicated by the simultaneous spread of other viruses, including COVID-19 and RSV.
Flu shots are recommended for nearly all Americans who are at least 6 months old or older. Health officials say it's not too late to get vaccinated.
