Deadly flu Virus kills Australian boy
Pastor Dale Morgan
Deadly flu Virus kills Australian boy*
August 14, 2007 12:02am
Article from: The Daily Telegraph
A TWO-year-old boy has become the first child victim in NSW to be
claimed by the killer flu that has gripped the country.
The toddler from Bathurst in the state's Central West died at his family
home on Friday and tests last night confirmed the child tested positive
for the brutal influenza virus that has already killed five children
across the country.
The five other children - three in Western Australia, one in Queensland
and one in Victoria _ have also been reported as dying from illness
associated with Influenza A.
Last week a Queensland father, aged 37, died of a flu-related illness.
As the news broke late last night, NSW Health director of communicable
diseases Jeremy McAnulty told The Daily Telegraph the health department
received an Flu virus kills NSW two-year-old toddlerurgent notification
early on Monday evening of the toddler's death at his family home in
Bathurst.
"We had a report of a two-year-old boy who died on Friday in Bathurst
and tests that have come back today indicate he had influenza A,'' he said.
"How much of that contributed to his death we don't know for sure but
certainly (it is) very suspicious that it was related.''
Dr McAnulty said at this early stage the young boy did not appear to
have any underlying contributing causes such as asthma, but he said that
the case was now under further investigation.
The Daily Telegraph understands the child succumbed to the virus rapidly
and that local medical teams are now questioning other family members to
see if they need to take precautionary measures.
"This is the first death in a child we have had recorded (in NSW) this
season,'' Dr McAnulty said.
"It is a very unusual event and of course tragic but it is a known,
rare, complication of the flu.
"(It is) a reminder to all people that NSW and the rest of Australia is
experiencing one of the worst flu seasons for some years.
"Influenza is not like a common cold. It affects all ages and deaths in
children are very rare indeed, so it is important to put this tragic
case in context.''
As other child-deaths have occurred across the country, the State
Government has urged concerned parents to be cautious of rushing their
children into hospital emergency departments.
Figures which have been obtained by The Daily Telegraph from the
Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages revealed in 2006 there were
only six recorded deaths listing influenza as a primary or contributory
factor.
This year alone, there have already been 14 influenza-related deaths in
the state - nine of those in July.