The father of the 5-year-old who died of the flu talks about the difficult moments

Influenza: Last week Wolfson Medical Center informed about the death of a 5 and a half year old boy who suffered from the flu. The boy, a resident of Bat Yam, was taken to Wolfson Hospital in critical condition after collapsing in his home, breathing and without a pulse. Despite resuscitation efforts, the medical teams had to pronounce him dead upon arrival. It was also reported that the child did not suffer from underlying diseases and was not immune to the virus.His father Ilan (pseudonym) tells in an interview with Mako Health that after his death it turned out that the boy suffered from a secondary, bacterial infection of Streptococcus A, a complication of the influenza virus. “We have no words to describe the pain,” he says, “The boy was ill with the flu for a few days. We went to the doctor who checked him and said everything was fine. His fever was not that high, and the doctor said he just needed to be given antipyretics.”

According to him, the boy’s condition improved slightly in the following days. “We got the fever under control, he even started to feel better and started talking a little again. My wife stayed at home with him and everything was fine, we thought that on Sunday he would be back in kindergarten.”

However, two days later his condition began to deteriorate rapidly. “It just went off, like a circuit breaker.” The boy collapsed at home. The MDA teams that arrived at the scene evacuated him to the Wolfson Hospital in critical condition. They did not have time to examine him at all at the hospital, and already close to his arrival they had to pronounce him dead.

The tragic case is the fifth death from flu complications reported this winter season. In the last month, the death of a 40-year-old woman, an 18-year-old girl, a 13-year-old girl and a 5-year-old girl who suffered from underlying diseases was reported.

“Influenza and streptococcus type A They are two significant causes of morbidity, especially among children”, explains Dr. Uri Bella, director of the Children’s Health Center of the General Hospital in Modi’in. Dr. Bella did not treat the specific case, but according to him, while influenza is a viral disease that passes in most cases without treatment, streptococcus A It is a common bacterium that causes upper respiratory tract infections, and in some cases can cause serious infections. “Having the flu increases the risk of streptococcus infection A, because it damages the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, which protect us from infections, and weakens our immune system.” Dr. Bella points out that possible complications of Streptococcus A include, among other things, pneumonia, ear infections, sinusitis, and strep throat, and in rare cases, the bacterium may lead to death.

“Influenza increases the risk of infection with Streptococcus A, because it damages the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, which protect us from infections, and weakens our immune system”

Dr. Uri Bela, General Modi’in

An increase in respiratory morbidity rates

According to the monitoring of the Ministry of Health, the dominant flu viruses for this season are influenza A/H1N1, known as “swine flu”, and influenza B. “Swine flu was not common in previous years, and it is possible that this is the cause of the severe morbidity we are seeing this year,” says Dr. Bella. And emphasizes that the risk can be reduced by getting vaccinated against the flu, and that even now it is still advisable to get vaccinated Antibiotics, but if the child has the flu and his fever persists, and instead of getting better, his condition is only getting worse, it’s a good idea to seek an evaluation from a pediatric specialist, in order to diagnose the possible complications and give antibiotic treatment.”

According to the data of the National Center for Disease Control, updated as of last week, the increase in respiratory morbidity rates continues. Monitoring data in the community shows that the upward trend in flu-like morbidity continues, which for the first time this season is defined as “high”. The data from the Medical Center also show that there was an increase in referrals due to pneumonia and upper respiratory tract infection. Also, a decrease in the activity of the RSV virus and continued low activity of the hMPV virus, whose name is associated with the respiratory disease in China, was observed.

Since the beginning of the winter illness season, 136 intensive care/intensified care hospitalizations have been reported from influenza laboratory tests. Most of those hospitalized up to the age of 18 were diagnosed with influenza type B, while most of those hospitalized over the age of 18 were diagnosed with influenza type A, according to the National Center for Disease Control.