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February 07, 2003
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Be Calm, Flu Experts Say"
Detroit Free Press (www.freep.com) (02/06/03); Low, Marsha; George, Maryanne
In Michigan last week, four children died from apparent complications of the flu, but health offices urged parents to remain calm, saying the number of cases is not worse than in previous years. The Michigan Department of Community Health is currently examining the deaths of the children; Alana Yaksich, five years old, died Monday of encephalitis, a complication of influenza that affects the brain, say Beaumont Hospital officials. Oakland County medical examiners said that Yazzmin Zama, seven years old, died Friday due to a hereditary blood disorder compounded by pneumonia, says Donn Tiganelli of Rochester Community Schools. Washtenaw County health authorities are waiting for test findings to establish the cause of death for David Tripp, 14 years of age, and Meghan Spiels, six years. George Miller, manger of the Oakland County Health Department, says the flu vaccine is currently being provided only by physicians and the Visiting Nurses Association. Health officials say the vaccine can take up to two weeks to start working, and the most acute period of the flu season will continue up to March. Doctors urge parents to seek medical help if their symptoms last longer than five days, include runny nose, sore throat, headache, and congestion, says Dr. Frank McGeorge. More serious symptoms such as neck soreness, difficulty breathing, or confusion should be treated immediately at the hospital, he says.
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