More kids are dying across the country this year from the flu, but so far, no children have died from the flu in New Mexico.
Dr. Heather Pratt-Chavez said her clinic waiting room at UNM has been packed, but that New Mexicans are usually pretty good at getting their kids vaccinated. So, she’s happy there have been no reported pediatric deaths. The flu is a sneaky virus, though, she said, and it’s never too late to get the vaccine.
“It feels terrible for providers when we see people dying around the country from the flu and we could prevent some of those deaths with the flu shot,” she said.
If you come down with the flu, an anti-viral can decrease the severity and duration of the illness, Pratt-Chavez said.
Twenty-four adults have died from the flu in New Mexico so far this season and it hasn’t peaked yet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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KUNM’s Public Health New Mexico project is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the McCune Charitable Foundation.