Arizona Department of Health Services is now reporting five pediatric flu deaths for the 2019-2020 season.
The new numbers were reported in the health department’s latest health report, for the week ending on May 9.
The first pediatric death was reported in December 2019, involving an infant in Maricopa County who was not old enough to be immunized.
The second death was reported in Yuma County in February 2020.
A Pima County child also died from influenza in February.
The fourth child death was reported by state officials in data from the second week of March.
Health officials did not release how old the child was with the fifth case or in which county the death occurred.
More than 36,000 people have been diagnosed with influenza in the 2019-2020 season, up from more than 21,000 in the 2018-2019 season.
The latest report suggests influenza activity is decreasing with “sporadic” activity throughout the state.
Some flu reports are still being processed.
The department says the data represents only a proportion of the true number of flu patients, as not everyone visits the doctor and not everyone with flu-like symptoms is tested.
