DALLAS — A North Texas child has died from the flu, according to Dallas County Health and Human Services.
The agency announced the death Tuesday when officials released their influenza weekly report ending on Nov. 26.
Last week, the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council said in the past week, flu hospitalizations have gone up 30% and COVID hospitalizations are up 70%. Pediatric hospitals are now 98.9% full.
On Wednesday, MedStar told WFAA its crews are treating an average of nine people each day for flu-like illness in December.
“The average age of the people calling 911 and requesting EMS for what is determined to be an influenza-like illness is 61 and the majority are male so far,” MedStar spokesperson Matt Zavadsky told WFAA.
Last year’s data shows ambulance crews were treating an average of 1.4 patients for flu-like illness each day in December 2021.
From 2016 through 2020, Dallas County Health and Human Services reported nine confirmed flu-associated pediatric deaths in Dallas County. There were no reported pediatric flu deaths in 2021.
In November, influenza A (H3N2) became the dominant flu variant in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That came as the Children's Hospital Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics told the Biden administration that "unprecedented levels" of RSV combined with increasing flu circulation have pushed hospitals across the nation to their breaking point.
Dr. Laura Romano, a hospitalist at Cook Children’s Medical Center, told WFAA in November that a sharp rise in flu cases has further overwhelmed the hospital system, which was already up against an early RSV surge.
"The flu right now is exploding," Romano said. We don’t know when we’ll hit the peak, how long we’ll be in a peak.”