Public health officials are bracing for a spike in demand for flu vaccines after a 12-year-old girl from the Twin Cities area died Monday as a result of influenza complications.
State officials wouldn't say exactly where the girl lived or died, but said she had not had a flu vaccination and had a medical condition that made her more vulnerable. She was the first pediatric influenza death of the flu season. Pediatric flu deaths are rare in Minnesota, with no more than a few deaths each year.
Although this year's vaccine is effective against only two of the three flu strains in circulation, the girl's death, combined with increased flu activity, is prompting a new round of vaccine clinics, including one 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and March 8 at 3433 Broadway St. NE., Suite 300, Minneapolis.
For more information, go to www.health.state.mn.us or call 651-201-5000.
PATRICE RELERFORD
