Colorado Confirms Season's First Child Flu Death; Health Officials Urge Vaccination
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced on Oct. 15 the state's first confirmed pediatric flu death of this respiratory virus season. The child was of elementary-school age and lived outside the Denver metro area; the department had no record of the child receiving this season's flu vaccine and released no further details.
Department spokesperson Hope Shuler said: "We extend our deepest condolences to this family and hope they find comfort during this heartbreaking time." Officials noted that Colorado's flu season typically runs from early October through late May, and flu activity is rising earlier this year than usual, with reported positive tests and hospitalizations above the levels of recent years at this point.
Last flu season, eight Colorado children died of flu, five of them unvaccinated — the highest toll in more than two decades outside the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. The department urges everyone six months and older to get the annual flu shot, calling it the strongest protection against severe illness; full protection takes about two weeks to build, and with Halloween gatherings and holiday travel approaching, parents should schedule children's vaccinations early.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：丹佛的科罗拉多州议会大厦（资料图）。照片：xiquinhosilva／Wikimedia Commons（CC BY 2.0）。The Colorado State Capitol in Denver (file photo). Photo: xiquinhosilva / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).
