skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, December 23, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Suspect held after woman set on fire in NY subway car dies; Trump threatens to take back Panama Canal over 'ridiculous' fees; A year of growth for juvenile diversion programs in SD; The ups and downs of combating rural grocery deserts in ND; Report: AZ one of eight Western states that could improve conservation policies.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Congress passes a last-minute budget stopgap. Trump's second-term tariffs could harm farmers, and future budget cuts could reduce much-needed federal programs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

Study: Even Healthy Kids Can (And Do) Die From Flu

play audio
Play

Friday, November 1, 2013   

PHOENIX – As flu season sets in, health officials are warning parents that even the healthiest children are at risk of dying from influenza, according to a new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The study found that of the 830 U.S. children who died from the flu from 2004 to 2012, more than 40 percent did not have any underlying medical condition that would put them at risk for complications such as asthma or heart disease.

Dr. Lia Gaggino, regional chapter president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, says the flu can spiral downward very quickly for even the healthiest children.

"Ear infections, pneumonias and sinus infections as secondary complications,” she points out, “and a lot of times that's what the kids may die from are pneumonias."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all those older than six months be vaccinated against the flu, if there are no health reasons preventing the immunizations such as allergies.

Frequent hand washing and sanitation of public surfaces can also minimize virus exposure.

Gaggino stresses that while the vaccine can trigger a short-lived immune response that could cause some fatigue or soreness, there is no way to contract the virus from a flu shot or nasal spray.

While Gaggino admits it is difficult for researchers who make the flu vaccine to predict which strains will dominate in any given year, she says this year there are two different vaccines that both offer wide protection from several viruses.

"It covers the H1N1,” she says. “It covers the H3N2, and then there's a third, and then the quadrivalent, or the newer one, includes an additional virus."

During the 2012-2013 flu season, 158 U.S. children, including four in Arizona, died from influenza-related causes.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
Rocky Casillas Aguirre adds a pop of color to 'Twitch the Flame,' a main character in his comic series which focuses on mental health for kids. (Photo courtesy of Casillas Aguirre)

Health and Wellness

play sound

By Amy Felegy for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Collabo…


Health and Wellness

play sound

With Christmas less than a week away, experts are giving advice on how seniors and the community can fight against social isolation. A United Health …

Environment

play sound

When the Champlain Towers South collapsed in Surfside in 2021 taking 98 lives, it sent shock waves across South Florida. The tragedy has left …


Environment

play sound

Three environmental nonprofits filed suit Wednesday against the California Air Resources Board to oppose the expansion of a program allowing oil and g…

Ithaca, New York, is the first city in the world to commit to electrifying all its buildings. The city is aiming to accomplish the goal by 2030. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

New York lawmakers are focusing on electrifying municipal buildings. Buildings statewide make up 32% of New York's greenhouse gas emissions and …

Social Issues

play sound

North Dakota is expected to rejoin the debate over whether all school children, regardless of their family income, should have access to no-cost …

Social Issues

play sound

This month, an Arizona grand jury indicted two out-of-state residents for cheating the state's Empowerment Scholarship Account program out of more …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021