PORT ST. LUCIE — State health officials suspect a Port St. Lucie child’s death this month was from the flu virus.

However, the cause of death can not be confirmed until St. Lucie County Health Department officials receive an autopsy report from the Medical Examiner’s Office, said Arlease Hall, St. Lucie County Health Department spokeswoman.

On Wednesday, Florida Today reported the flu virus arrived late in state and had claimed the life of a Port St. Lucie child, bringing the nation’s total pediatric deaths to five for this flu season.

Although the flu is not a reportable disease, the state monitors its activity through sentinel physicians and the reports of emergency room physicians, according to Florida Today.

Health department officials declined to release the age of the child and officials with the Medical Examiner’s Office couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.

Annually, flu kills about 36,000 people in the country and result in 200,000 people hospitalized, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. But in the past two years, there have been no flu-related deaths in St. Lucie County, Hall said.

The CDC reported elevated or regional flu activity in 32 states as of the first week in February, with almost 6,000 confirmed cases, Florida Today reported.

In Florida, the flu typically peaks in late January or February and continues into March, said Doc Kokal, spokesman with Florida Department of Health.

People can increase the likelihood of not getting the virus by following basic hygiene rules that include hand washing.

“Soap and water is all you need,” Kokal said. “I know it sound simple, but those are things that really work.”

FLU PRECAUTION TIPS

• Stay at home if you are an employee, student, teacher or staff member suspected of having the flu.

• Wash your hands several times a day with soap and warm water for 15 to 20 seconds.

• Avoid sharing drinking and eating utensils.

• Get a flu shot through your primary physician.

Center for Health and Health Care in Schools; Doc Kokal, spokesman with Florida Department of Health

By Keona Gardner, TCPalm.com

Tags: death, drinking, emergency, hand, Health, hospital, medical, physician, shot, students, teacher, teachers

This entry was posted on Friday, February 20th, 2009 at 8:18 am and is filed under Health, Port St. Lucie, Schools, State. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.