Mississippi Records First Pediatric Flu Death of 2020

JACKSON, Miss. – Today the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is reporting its first pediatric flu death of 2020. The death was in a child from Central Mississippi. The child did not test positive for COVID-19.

This is the first pediatric flu death in Mississippi since 2018.

“We’ve recently been focused on COVID-19, but this sadly reminds us that an annual flu vaccine is important for anyone ages 6 months and older,” said MSDH State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs.

First Case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

Additionally, today MSDH is reporting its first case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). The case was in a child in Central Mississippi who tested positive for COVID-19 and has been discharged from the hospital. MSDH is also investigating other suspected cases.

MIS-C in an inflammatory illness found in children under 18 years of age and may be associated with previous COVID-19 infection. The illness is rare and not contagious.

“This is a reminder that while the number of COVID-19 cases in children has been relatively low, the virus can still cause severe illness in children. This syndrome presents itself post-COVID-19 infection,” said Dobbs.

Tags: 2020, Central Mississippi, COVID-19, death, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, Mississippi, Mississippi State Department of Health, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, Pediatric

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TLV News The Local Voice is a bimonthly entertainment guide and newspaper based in Oxford, Mississippi, covering and distributed in North Central Mississippi, including Oxford, Ole Miss, Taylor, Abbeville, Water Valley, Lafayette County, Yalobusha County, and parts of Panola County, Marshall County, and Tupelo . The Local Voice is distributed free to over 255 locations in North Mississippi and also available as a full color PDF download worldwide on the internet.