FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: April 6, 2009

NEWS RELEASE FROM:  
Oakland County Health Division
1200 North Telegraph Road
Pontiac, Mich. 48341

CONTACT:     
George J. Miller, Director
Oakland County Health Division
Phone: 248-858-1293

Oakland County Health Division Cautions Parents

PONTIAC, MICH. April 6, 2009 The Oakland County Health Division was informed Saturday evening April 4, 2009 of the deaths of two school-age children that occurred earlier in the day.  The Oakland County Medical Examiners Office conducted autopsies to determine the cause of death for these children. The results are pending from the state Bureau of Laboratories. It is not clear when the results will be available.

Initial tests on a 6-year-old girl from Clarkston indicate that a severe case of Influenza B may have contributed to her death. Autopsy results from a 5-year-old boy from Highland are not yet available but a respiratory infection compounded by childhood asthma may have played a role.

These deaths are an unfortunate reminder that the flu season is not over.  Even though this has been a mild influenza season, there have been 43 pediatric influenza-associated deaths in the United States as of March 28, 2009, said Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, chief of medical services at the Oakland County Health Division. As a precaution, the Oakland County Health Division continues to encourage parents with children who exhibit flu-like symptoms, such as a sudden onset of fever with upper respiratory symptoms, to consult with their physician.

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