RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A spokesperson for Virginia Department of Health (VDH) stresses the importance of preventing the flu’s spread after the first influenza-related pediatric death was reported of the 2023-24 flu season.
On Thursday, Dec. 28, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) reported the first influenza-related pediatric death of the 2023-24 flu season — a child between the ages of 5 and 12 years old.
VDH’s Dr. Melissa Viray spoke about the Department’s reported flu-related death and how it can easily spread among children.
“Kids go to daycare… go to preschool,” Dr. Viray said. “You can see them get sick pretty frequently, but it’s not to be ignored.”
According to the VDH, last week the state saw a 27% increase in flu-related urgent care and emergency department visits. That’s a 3% increase from the week prior.
As of Dec. 29, the Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) labeled Virginia as having a “Very high” influenza-like illness (ILI) activity level.
The patient’s vaccination status was not released. However, according to the VDH, only 27% of eligible Virginians have received their flu shot so far this season.
“We are incredibly saddened to reach this milestone,” Dr. Viray said in regards to the first flu-related death of this year’s flu season. “But it is a reminder that influenza infection can be very severe.”
COVID-19, another respiratory illness, was also reported by VDH to have increased in recent weeks, with 3.43% of emergency room patients being diagnosed with COVID-19 during the week before Christmas, compared to 1.67% in the last week of October.
Dr. Viray cited abnormal statistics from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 — which reported a record low in influenza cases due to heightened precautions to upkeep hygiene, practice social distancing and wear face masks.
“The pandemic definitely shifted things around,” Dr. Viray said when asked about ways to prevent the spread respiratory illnesses like the flu.
VDH issued a reminder of actions for Virginians to take to prevent the spread of the flu:
- Everyone six months and older should receive a yearly flu vaccine and consult healthcare providers as needed
- Virginians should practice good hand hygiene (washing your hands regularly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer), respiratory etiquette (coughing and sneezing into a tissue or the inside of your elbow rather than your open hand), and stay home when feeling sick
- Those with flu-like symptoms should seek healthcare early in their illness if necessary
There’s no explicit way to determine when flu activity will peak this season, however, health professionals encourage people to get vaccinated sooner rather than later in order to prevent its spread.
