Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s public health commissioner, is urging vaccination against flu. (Getty Images)
Two more Kentucky children have died from flu, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services announced Monday.
That makes three child flu deaths this season. The first pediatric flu death was reported on Feb. 7.
The latest are from Barren River District and Jefferson County, according to the cabinet. Nothing else about them is known.
Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s public health commissioner, is urging vaccination.
Kentucky child not vaccinated against influenza dies from flu
“We are committed to doing all that we can to protect the health and safety of those in Kentucky,” Stack said in a statement. “It is important that we take the necessary precautions, such as staying up to date on vaccinations, washing hands regularly with soap and water, covering coughs and sneezes and staying home when sick, to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the harm that viruses such as influenza and COVID-19 can cause.”?
Symptoms of flu can include fever, sore throat, cough and more. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone 6 months and older get their annual flu and COVID-19 vaccines. Though it’s best to get vaccinated at the start of the season, the cabinet says it’s not too late to get the shot.?
“We share this information not to scare folks, but to let them know that illnesses like the flu and COVID-19 can become serious,” Stack said in a? statement. “Fortunately, there are precautions people can take to decrease the risk of serious illness. Vaccines are safe and effective at lowering one’s risk of infection, hospitalization and death.”?
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Sarah Ladd
Sarah Ladd is a Louisville-based journalist from West Kentucky who's covered everything from crime to higher education. She spent nearly two years on the metro breaking news desk at The Courier Journal. In 2020, she started reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic and has covered health ever since. As the Kentucky Lantern's health reporter, she focuses on mental health, LGBTQ+ issues, maternal health, children's welfare and more.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
