The Minnesota Department of Health is reporting the season’s second flu-related death involving a child during a week that all of the indicators used to track flu activity headed lower.

The department’s weekly update on influenza activity in Minnesota does not specify when or where the pediatric death occurred, only that it was reported to the department last week. The other death of a child from flu -related complications this year was reported five weeks ago when it appeared the flu season was beginning to peak. There were three pediatric deaths blamed on influenza last year, while 10 children died in Minnesota after contracting the flu during the 2014-2015 flu season.

Overall flu activity in Minnesota continues to be rated as widespread, but it is on the decline. There were fewer than 60 flu-related hospitalizations reported to the health department last week. That is down almost 80-percent when compared to the previous week.

The number of probable flu outbreaks reported by schools has been dropping steadily for three straight weeks. The total last week was 31, which is down seven from the previous week and is about 20 below the total reported that the peak of the flu season in the second week of February. There were 11 confirmed outbreaks in long-term care facilities in Minnesota, which represents a nearly 50-percent drop during the past two weeks.

The Department of capital also reported sizable drops in the number of people seeking medical care for flu-like symptoms and a number of the cases confirmed by laboratory testing.

 

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