More flu vaccinations urged after state report on child fatalities
By
Brad Petrishen
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Posted Apr 3, 2019 at 9:24 PM
Updated Apr 3, 2019 at 9:39 PM
The state Tuesday announced the fourth death of a child from the flu
this season, a number in line with previous years, a local doctor said,
but that underscores the importance of greater vaccination rates.
“I would strongly encourage everyone to get the flu shot,” Dr. Richard T. Ellison III, hospital epidemiologist at UMass Memorial Medical Center, said Wednesday – sentiment doctors express every year, to little avail.
In the 2017 to 2018 flu season, just 28 percent of Worcester’s 180,000 or so residents received a flu shot, Health and Human Services Commissioner Dr. Matilde “Mattie” Castiel said, mostly children under 5.
“We’re going to (continue) to increase that number,” Dr. Castiel said, noting that the city nearly doubled the amount of schoolchildren vaccinated this year.
The state Tuesday announced that a teenage boy from Middlesex County died after contracting the flu. Three children died after getting the flu in January and February – two 4-year-old girls from Middlesex County and a 12-year-old boy from Milford.
“This latest pediatric flu-related death underscores the seriousness of influenza and the need for everyone over the age of 6 months to get vaccinated,” Dr. Larry Madoff, medical director of the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, said in a news release Tuesday.
While the number of children who have died from the flu this year is higher than the last two years – one died in the 2018 season, and two in the 2017 season – it is not a statistically significant increase, Dr. Ellison said, given the overall number of flu cases.
Yet every case is tragic, he noted, and underscores the importance of widespread vaccination.
“It’s always terrible, whenever it happens,” he said.
Dr. Ellison said that while he isn’t familiar with any of this year’s
fatalities, most children who die after contracting the flu have an
underlying condition, such as problems with their heart, lungs or
cancer, that contributes.
Dr. Ellison said it’s possible that the children who died of the flu did receive a flu shot but contracted it anyway.
It’s very rare for an otherwise healthy child to die of the flu, he said, but not unheard of.
“It’s not a never event,” he said.
Tuesday’s news came a day after 81 students were out sick with the flu or flulike symptoms at Gardner Middle School.
Superintendent Mark Pellegrino told the Gardner News that while the illnesses are concerning, they could be linked to an annual musical held over the weekend.
Students, in addition to being in close proximity for the show, worked very hard to prepare and put it together, the superintendent said, making them more susceptible to feeling run down.
The other schools in the district are not experiencing high rates of
flu, Mr. Pellegrino said; the middle school is being thoroughly cleaned
as a precaution.
Worcester’s coordinator of nursing services, Debra McGovern, did not return a request for comment Wednesday on how the flu season has gone in the city’s schools.
Dr. Castiel said while she hasn’t spoken to anyone at the schools on the topic, she has not been informed of any persistent problems.
Dr. Castiel noted that her office this year made a concerted effort to increase the number of schoolchildren vaccinated by offering incentives to students.
The city, with help from the United Way of Central Massachusetts and Greater Worcester Community Foundation, put $10,000 toward buying Google Chromebook laptops for the schools that returned vaccination forms at the highest rates.
Burncoat Street Preparatory School finished first, with 84 percent of students returning the forms, she said. Burncoat Middle School was second at 61 percent.
Walgreens travels to the schools to provide the shots, she said, taking insurance information from those who have it and giving out free shots to those who don’t.
Overall, 2,243 students districtwide received vaccinations, she said - nearly double the 1,174 that were vaccinated last season.
For staff, 871 teachers got the vaccination through the schools, up from 78 the prior year.
Dr. Castiel, calling the citywide rate of 28.2 percent far too low, said she will continue to brainstorm ways to increase vaccinations among all ages.
She noted that the more people who get vaccinated, the lower the chances that someone vulnerable to death – mostly the elderly, but also the very young or sick – will contract flu.
“Someone who has a deliberating illness – you’re protecting them,” she said. “You’re protecting the entire community.”
Dr. Castiel said the schools will continue the incentive program next year, and that she is looking at ways to get more seniors vaccinated.
Although most people who die of the flu are older, the vaccination rates of that population were not very good, she said.
The state estimates that between 250 and 1,100 Massachusetts
residents die annually from complications of the flu. Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates between 12,000 and 56,000 deaths.
So far, 77 children have died nationwide after contracting the flu this season, the CDC said. In 2018, the number was 185.
Dr. Ellison said while this year’s flu season has not been as bad as last year’s, there is still at least three to four weeks left.
He said it’s still worth it for people who haven’t received a shot to get one, especially given how easy it is to do so.
Information from the Gardner News was used in this report. Contact Brad Petrishen at brad.petrishen@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BPetrishenTG.
“I would strongly encourage everyone to get the flu shot,” Dr. Richard T. Ellison III, hospital epidemiologist at UMass Memorial Medical Center, said Wednesday – sentiment doctors express every year, to little avail.
In the 2017 to 2018 flu season, just 28 percent of Worcester’s 180,000 or so residents received a flu shot, Health and Human Services Commissioner Dr. Matilde “Mattie” Castiel said, mostly children under 5.
“We’re going to (continue) to increase that number,” Dr. Castiel said, noting that the city nearly doubled the amount of schoolchildren vaccinated this year.
The state Tuesday announced that a teenage boy from Middlesex County died after contracting the flu. Three children died after getting the flu in January and February – two 4-year-old girls from Middlesex County and a 12-year-old boy from Milford.
“This latest pediatric flu-related death underscores the seriousness of influenza and the need for everyone over the age of 6 months to get vaccinated,” Dr. Larry Madoff, medical director of the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, said in a news release Tuesday.
While the number of children who have died from the flu this year is higher than the last two years – one died in the 2018 season, and two in the 2017 season – it is not a statistically significant increase, Dr. Ellison said, given the overall number of flu cases.
Yet every case is tragic, he noted, and underscores the importance of widespread vaccination.
“It’s always terrible, whenever it happens,” he said.
Dr. Ellison said it’s possible that the children who died of the flu did receive a flu shot but contracted it anyway.
It’s very rare for an otherwise healthy child to die of the flu, he said, but not unheard of.
“It’s not a never event,” he said.
Tuesday’s news came a day after 81 students were out sick with the flu or flulike symptoms at Gardner Middle School.
Superintendent Mark Pellegrino told the Gardner News that while the illnesses are concerning, they could be linked to an annual musical held over the weekend.
Students, in addition to being in close proximity for the show, worked very hard to prepare and put it together, the superintendent said, making them more susceptible to feeling run down.
Worcester’s coordinator of nursing services, Debra McGovern, did not return a request for comment Wednesday on how the flu season has gone in the city’s schools.
Dr. Castiel said while she hasn’t spoken to anyone at the schools on the topic, she has not been informed of any persistent problems.
Dr. Castiel noted that her office this year made a concerted effort to increase the number of schoolchildren vaccinated by offering incentives to students.
The city, with help from the United Way of Central Massachusetts and Greater Worcester Community Foundation, put $10,000 toward buying Google Chromebook laptops for the schools that returned vaccination forms at the highest rates.
Burncoat Street Preparatory School finished first, with 84 percent of students returning the forms, she said. Burncoat Middle School was second at 61 percent.
Walgreens travels to the schools to provide the shots, she said, taking insurance information from those who have it and giving out free shots to those who don’t.
For staff, 871 teachers got the vaccination through the schools, up from 78 the prior year.
Dr. Castiel, calling the citywide rate of 28.2 percent far too low, said she will continue to brainstorm ways to increase vaccinations among all ages.
She noted that the more people who get vaccinated, the lower the chances that someone vulnerable to death – mostly the elderly, but also the very young or sick – will contract flu.
“Someone who has a deliberating illness – you’re protecting them,” she said. “You’re protecting the entire community.”
Dr. Castiel said the schools will continue the incentive program next year, and that she is looking at ways to get more seniors vaccinated.
Although most people who die of the flu are older, the vaccination rates of that population were not very good, she said.
So far, 77 children have died nationwide after contracting the flu this season, the CDC said. In 2018, the number was 185.
Dr. Ellison said while this year’s flu season has not been as bad as last year’s, there is still at least three to four weeks left.
He said it’s still worth it for people who haven’t received a shot to get one, especially given how easy it is to do so.
Information from the Gardner News was used in this report. Contact Brad Petrishen at brad.petrishen@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BPetrishenTG.
No comments:
Post a Comment