Michigan reports state's first child flu death of season

Michigan confirmed the state's first child flu death of the season, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday.

The health department did not indicate where the child lived or the age. The child contracted Influenza A, or H1N1, the department said.

“These are tragedies that no family should ever have to endure," said Natasha Bagdasarian, the state department's chief medical executive, in a statement. She urged parents of children older than 6 months get a flu vaccine for their children and urged adults to get the shot once a year as well.

People still can receive the vaccine for the current influenza season, the department said.

Currently, 19.2% of Michigan children 6 months to 17 years old have received the season's vaccine, drop slight dip compared to the same time in the 2022-23 flu season, according to the Michigan Care Improvement Registry.

The news of the death comes as Michigan's health department also is watching the state's first reported cases of measles since 2019. The Health Department previously reported three unrelated measles cases so far in 2024, all linked to international travel. One case was reported in an Oakland County child confirmed in February; another case was reported in an adult in Ypsilanti, reported March 1, and another adult case was reported to the Wayne County Health Department on March 2.

A vaccine against measles is available as a two-part series that also protects against mumps and rubella. About 68% of children ages 19-36 months had received one dose of the vaccine by February. That's down from 75% in January 2019, according to data from the Michigan Care Improvement Registry.