Michigan confirms two more kids have died from influenza, bringing pediatric flu deaths to five
Michigan says 5 kids have died from the flu
It's been an historically bad season for the influenza, and as vaccine coverage drops during the period when transmission is highest, those at the extreme ends of age and people with health issues could be impacted the most.
(FOX 2) - Michigan's flu problem is not going away as cases related to influenza have surged this winter season.
On Thursday, the Michigan health department confirmed two more kids had died from the flu, a day after reporting a third child from Macomb County had died. The first two kids who died were from Wayne and Genesee counties.
By the numbers:
According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, five kids have died from influenza this year.
In addition to the previously reported cases in Macomb, Wayne, and Genesee counties, two more children from Kent County have also died from the flu.
There have been 15,000 visits to the hospital for influenza-related illnesses, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian said.
The health department's weekly influenza surveillance report says Michigan's influenza activity was among the highest in the country, on par with states like Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Washington, Oregon, Ohio, Nebraska, Kansas, and South Carolina.
As of Feb. 21, 86 kids have died from the flu across the U.S.
Before Dec. 21, 2024, influenza-related visits to the hospital accounted for less than 2% of all trips. This week, they make up almost 12%.
What they're saying:
"This has been a terrible flu season," said Michigan's chief medical executive. "This has really persisted for a little bit longer, so more people have been impacted by influenza."
Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian said the people most vulnerable to this round of influenza include the youngest and oldest patients.
"It tends to be people at the extremes of age," she said. "So either those who are very young or those who are elderly. It tends to also impact people with other comorbid conditions."
Comorbidities include any medical conditions present while a patient is already managing a separate illness.
That includes heart and lung problems like high blood pressure, obesity, kidney disease, and chronic lung disease, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Dig deeper:
In searching for a reason behind Michigan's historically bad influenza season, Bagdasarian pointed to a growing trend among the rise in illnesses: a drop in vaccinations.
Similar to drops in child immunizations of things like measles and polio, there has also been a decline in parents seeking the flu vaccine for their kids.
"And what that means is there are more people in Michigan, more children in Michigan, who are at risk for those vaccine-preventable diseases," she said.
While measles is not spreading in Michigan, a community in Texas has been managing an outbreak of over 125 cases. One child has also died from the illness, which is preventable with the help of a vaccine shot.
In Michigan, 2.7 million residents have gotten the shot - about 70% of the state's goal for this season.
The Source: This story was reported from MDHHS information, an interview with the chief medical executive, and previous reporting.