PINAL COUNTY, AZ — Health officials have announced the first pediatric flu death in Arizona.
The “young child,” whose exact age was not released by officials, was from Pinal County.
Since the start of this flu season, there have been nearly 2,800 lab-confirmed cases of influenza in Pinal County out of more than 30,000 cases statewide.
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Video in the player above highlights respiratory virus trends in Arizona from last month.
Health experts are urging community members to get vaccinated as soon as possible as it can take your immune system about two weeks to build up defenses against the flu after immunization.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone 6 months and older get the flu vaccine.
Symptoms of the flu can include:
- fever or feeling feverish/chills (It is important to note that not everyone with the flu will have a fever)
- cough
- sore throat
- runny or stuffy nose
- muscle or body aches
- headaches
- fatigue (tiredness)
- some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults
