A 5-year-old Mill Valley kindergartner who had tested positive for the flu died Friday, Marin County health officials said.
The death was the first flu-related death of the season and the county’s first flu-related pediatric death in years, Marin County Deputy Public Health Officer Dr. Anju Goel said.
An autopsy today will help determine an official cause of death, said Sgt. Keith Boyd of the Marin County coroner’s office.
Based on results of the autopsy, a toxicology report may be necessary. Those results would take a few weeks to come back, said Lt. Scott Anderson of the coroner’s office.
The child, a boy, was a student at the Old Mill School on Throckmorton Avenue.
The county health department worked with the Marin County Office of Education to send notices to families of other students who may have been exposed.
“Whenever we have a case of an infection that is communicable, we contact close contacts of that person to let them know they have been exposed,” Goel said. “We ask they see their health care provider.”
Several counselors are on campus today to provide support for students and staff, said Mark Barmore, director of student support services for the Mill Valley School District.
“They seem to be doing OK. It’s a wonderful staff at the school,” Barmore said. “They are being very supportive of students and parents.”
Flu deaths are more common in elderly patients who have other medical problems, although thousands Americans die of the flu each year, Goel said.
Sasha Lekach, Bay City News
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