A DeKalb County School District student died from the flu on Sunday, the second teenager in metro Atlanta killed by the rampaging virus.
School district officials are reminding students and staff to continue taking precautions as flu season may not have reached its peak.
District officials confirmed Monday afternoon that the 15-year-old Cross Keys High School student died Sunday. Principal Jason Heard sent a note Monday morning, shortly after classes started, to inform staff of Miguel Jaimes Martinez's passing.
Heard said counselors would be making classroom visits and students who needed immediate attention could receive it at the school’s media center.
“The entire DeKalb County School District is saddened by the news that one of our own has passed away due to illness,” Superintendent Steve Green said Monday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family, loved ones and peers in this unfortunate and trying time.”
The teen, a sophomore, leaves behind his mother and three siblings.
His death is one of only a handful of confirmed flu deaths of children in metro Atlanta. Coweta County officials confirmed that 15-year-old Kira Molina died in late January of a flu-related illness. Five-year-old Elijah Snook died in late January after being hospitalized Jan. 13 with flu-like symptoms, Channel 2 Action News reported.
At least 66 Georgians have died during this flu season, and schools have seen absences spike in recent weeks. Some districts have asked teachers to assist with cleaning common areas to limit contamination and spreading the virus.
This season’s predominant flu strain is H3N2, which causes the worst outbreaks of the two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses that are responsible for seasonal flu epidemics each year.
“Of the viruses we hate, we hate H3N2 more than the other ones,” said top CDC flu expert Daniel Jernigan. “This strain, which has been around for 50 years, is able to change more quickly to get around the human body’s immune system than the other viruses targeted in this year’s seasonal flu vaccine.”
JoAnn Harris, DeKalb Schools’ lead nurse, said the district is using guidelines from the county’s health department and advising parents to keep children at home as symptoms present themselves. In the case of a fever, officials suggest keeping the student home at least a day after the fever breaks and a day after using fever-reduction medication.
The number of flu hospitalizations in Georgia surpassed 1,000, with 120 of those patients hospitalized last week alone, according to figures released Friday by the state Department of Public Health. In Georgia, flu had killed two people between ages 5 and 17; seven between 18 and 51; eight between ages 51 and 64; and 49 people 65 and older.
Although this year's flu vaccine is far from perfect, experts urge people to get it if they haven't yet. Although it's believed to be less effective than those from other years, it can lower the severity of the flu if you do get sick.
Hospitals, swamped with flu patients, are asking people to be prudent.
Some people need to be in the emergency room. But some just need a doctor or clinic, and some need home treatment.
A group representing Georgia hospitals on Monday cautioned people to check their symptoms for real emergency signs before they drive off to the emergency room.
“Those who do not have the flu, but go to the ER, risk catching it from those who do,” the Georgia Hospital Association said in a press release Monday. “However, anyone who is concerned about a serious or life-threatening illness should go to the ER.”
The state Department of Public Health has been getting calls from hospitals that they’re inundated, a GHA spokeswoman said. People are crowding hospital ER’s that don’t have the warning signs for ER treatment. The hospitals, in turn, are having to spend money and work staff more to deal with the influx.
Emergency warning signs for people to go to the ER include:
• trouble breathing
• chest pain
• persistent vomiting
• flu-like symptoms that improve, but return with fever and worse cough
There is more information listed on the website of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“There is, I don’t want to say panic, but extra concern out there this year,” said the spokeswoman, Erin Stewart. “Of course, always be safe. Go to the CDC website, assess your symptoms.”
If people are unsure whether they need more care, they can contact their doctor or a clinic.
“Hospitals are working diligently to make sure each patient receives timely and efficient care,” said GHA President Earl Rogers.
