New Jersey Health Department officials have confirmed the first death associated with influenza this season: a child from the central part of the state passed away from the virus at the end of December, according to the New York Post.
Due to privacy laws the child’s identity was not released.
During the 2018 flu season, 80,000 people died in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to this week’s CDC FluView report, high influenza activity has been seen in 19 states plus New York City with two flu-associated pediatric deaths reported.
The 19 states in which the high “flu” activity was documented were: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. Nine other states reported “moderate” influenza activity and 10 states reported low flu activity.