Children With Flu at Risk of Death From Staph Infections

Results of a new government report recently released find that more children are dying from the flu because they also had diagnosed staph infections, a fact that makes it all the more important for kids to get their flu shot.

According to the data from 2006 to 2007, 73 deaths occured in children with both the flu and a staph infection, and officials are predicting that when the numbers are tabulated for this past flu season that the number will be higher.

In the majority of these cases, the children were healthy, and between 5 and 17 years of age.

Traditionally the flu will not kill a child, or a healthy adult for that matter, but when underlying health conditions are involved, the risk of serious problems can go up considerably.

Last year, the flu vaccine shot was not very effective, but despite this fact, health officials are urging Americans that it is worth it to get it.

“It’s an important message to say even healthy children develop complications and die almost before anything much can be done for them,” said Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic infectious disease specialist.

An estimated 20,000 children are hospitalized in the U.S. each year because of flu.