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Nancy Lebens
St. Paul, Minn.

Minnesota sees 4th pediatric flu death of the season

Flu vaccine
In December, the health department said flu cases were setting records across Minnesota.
Nikki Tundel / MPR News 2011

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The Minnesota Department of Health says a fourth child has died in this season's flu outbreak.

Although the prevalence of influenza in Minnesota is considered widespread there were fewer hospitalizations reported than the week of Christmas. But the health department says the percentage of people going to outpatient clinics with flu-like illnesses is higher than it has been this season.

Last month, the health department said flu cases were setting records across Minnesota.

On Dec. 29, clinics across the state sent the agency's public health lab 289 specimens for flu testing — an all-time daily record, epidemiologist Kris Ehresmann said. The 315 school outbreaks from the previous week broke a record, too.

The CDC has said this year's vaccine is not well matched against the dominant flu strain that's circulating. But Ehresmann says it's still important to get a shot because the vaccine does protect against other strains of the virus.