It appears that the flu caused the death of the 10-year-old Long Island, New York child. Cynthia Brown, spokeswoman for the Nassau County Health Department, said the 10-year-old died over the weekend and that preliminary tests revealed the presence of an A-strain of the flu. Moreover a 12-year-old boy in Boston died of flu over the weekend as well, The Boston Globe reports,

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the state Department of Public Health, public health officials say the best way to avoid the flu is to get vaccinated. “Everybody should get the flu vaccine,” said Courtney Leonard, a spokeswoman for the CDC, which especially recommends flu shots for more vulnerable groups, such as kids 6 months to 19 years, pregnant women, adults over 50 and people with chronic diseases.

The CDC’s Influenza Division, as of Tuesday morning, classified flu activity in North Carolina and 15 other states as widespread. The CDC’s report is based on a weekly influenza surveillance report prepared by division, which gets its estimates from state and territorial epidemiologists.

Pediatric flu deaths went uncounted until five years ago, following the unexpected deaths of more than 150 children in the 2003-2004 flu season. Experts blamed an aggressive A-strain of flu. "Pediatric [flu] deaths are an uncommon occurrence. The vast majority are children who are unvaccinated," said Beth Goldberg, spokeswoman for the state health department. During last year's flu season, eight children died statewide, 91 nationally.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 36,000 people, most of them elderly, die annually of the flu and more than 200,000 are hospitalized. Lamm noted the flu can pave the way for deadly bacterial lung infections. Moreover medical experts say washing hands and covering your mouth when you cough can prevent a lot.