WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) - Health officials in West Virginia are reporting the first pediatric flu death of the current season.
Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department administrator Howard Gamble tells media outlets his department was informed of the child’s death Monday.
State Department of Health and Human Resources spokeswoman Allison Adler says the 6-year-old is the first child to die of flu since the 2014-2015 season.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 30 pediatric flu deaths have occurred in the United States this season through last Friday.
The department says this is a severe flu season, with a record 55 outbreaks reported in health care facilities this month.
West Virginia annually averages about 400 deaths associated with influenza and pneumonia, mostly among people over 65.
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