Feb 17, 2009 10:57 pm US/Eastern
12-Year-Old Boy Dies From Flu Complications
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Hunter Pope was a seventh-grader at Boston Latin Academy.
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A 12-year-old boy has died from complications of the flu, becoming the first child in Massachusetts to fall victim to the virus this year.
Massachusetts Department of Public Health officials said the boy died early Monday morning. Boston Public School officials said the boy's name is Hunter Pope. Hunter was a seventh-grader at Boston Latin Academy.
"Friday he went to school and came home from school half day," said Hunter's aunt, MaryBeth Salama. "Saturday night he started throwing up, and Sunday morning he went to the emergency room because he'd thrown up enough that he was dehydrated."
Hunter's death is being investigated, but officials said he didn't have other health problems or conditions before contracting the flu. An autopsy is being conducted.
"This is just one of those horrible things that everyone is still in shock about," Salama said.
"We are extremely saddened by this news," said Superintendent Carol R. Johnson. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Pope family, and with the entire Boston Latin Academy community, during this difficult time."
"It's a real shake to your faith," Salama said. "It's a real shake to your life."
Grief counselors will be at the school on Monday when students return from February break. A wake is scheduled for Friday at the Brady & Fallon Funeral Service on Tower Street In Jamaica Plain.
Hunter's funeral will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. James Episcopal Church in Cambridge.
It's unknown if Hunter got a flu vaccination this year.
Four children died from the flu last year in Massachusetts. DPH officials said there has been a spike of flu cases in the state within the past week, particularly among teens and pre-teens. The flu season's peak typically hits sometime in February or March.
WHEN TO GO SEE A DOCTOR
When asked at what point should parents take their children to see a doctor, Dr. Anita Barry with the Boston Public Health Commission said, "If that person has a fever that can't be controlled, problems breathing, someone whose temperature goes down, and a few days later the fever comes back, can't keep fluids down."
Barry said any of those things warrants calling a health care provider.
Flu shots are recommended for kids ranging from six months to 18 years old, people over the age of 50, pregnant women, anyone with a compromised immune system and many health care workers.
How to tell if you have the flu or just a cold
For complete information about surveillance for influenza in Massachusetts, go to
www.mass.gov/dph/flu, and click on Seasonal Flu, then Influenza Surveillance, and then Massachusetts Surveillance Data.
For general information on influenza in multiple languages, please visit the DPH flu webpage at
http://www.mass.gov/dph/flu, or see the "Flu: What You Can Do" informational campaign at
http://tinyurl.com/FluWhatYouCanDo.
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