NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Several flu deaths have been reported in Tennessee as cases continue to soar.
Right before Christmas a child died, according to Tennessee Department of Health data, and a local teacher passed away from flu-related complications.
On a sunny day, Rebekka Seale spent some time at the park with her daughter.
“We got very sick over Christmas, we were down at the beach, and we had a fever for three days," Seale said, "We didn’t make it to the doctor because we were down there so I’m not sure if it was the flu but I know a lot of people who got really sick this Christmas.”
According to a CDC map, Tennessee is top seven in the country for flu activity.
“It doesn’t surprise me because I know so many people who have been sick in the past few weeks and that’s really scary,” Seale said.
At Monroe Carrell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Dr. Joseph Gigante said they're seeing an influx of kids admitted for flu and complications from the virus.
"Dehydration because kids don’t have much of an appetite and may have vomiting and diarrhea, and really the pneumonia is the big complication we worry about," Gigante said. "Kids can get really sick with pneumonia following getting the flu."
According to the state health department, one child in Tennessee has died from the flu this season.
"Last year, over 180 kids died from the flu, this year nationwide the number is low, it’s 20 right now, we’ve had one in the state so far, but you almost expect those numbers to rise in the future," Gigante said.
It's not too late to get a flu shot— especially since winter break is coming to an end.
“Once kids get back together, and especially if they’ve been at family gatherings where maybe they got exposed to a family member who was sick, they then get the flu or some other respiratory virus, they then go to school, and they pass it on to their classmates," Gigante said.
Dr. Gigante wants to remind everyone to wash their hands and avoid other people who are sick.
“It remains to be seen if this is going to be a worse flu season than other flu seasons we’ve seen in the past,” Gigante said.
Last week we told you about Cody Capps, the 36-year-old Robertson County teacher who died from flu-related complications. You can watch our report Cody's death below. The family has announced that his funeral is on Friday in Indiana, and they're working to schedule a celebration of life here at home too.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
