Connecticut

State Health Leaders Meet to Address Flu Crisis

Just days after a 6-year-old girl died from flu complications in Connecticut, state leaders are addressing the growing concern about the flu crisis.

Health leaders met with Connecticut U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro on Tuesday at the Quinnipiac Valley Health District in North Haven to discuss what can be done to combat the flu epidemic.

“We are looking at thousands of people dying right now,” DeLauro said at the beginning of the meeting.

The numbers speak for themselves. The Connecticut Department of Public Health said there have been at least 77 flu-related deaths in the state this season. That number does not include 6-year-old Emma Splan of Norwalk, who died just days after being diagnosed with the flu. To combat such losses, health officials brainstormed about future flu solutions on Tuesday.

“People are dying. We are losing 4,000 people a week, nationwide. This is very, very serious. I categorize it as a public health emergency nationwide,” said DeLauro.

DeLauro wants to add federal money to the Public Health Emergency Fund. This fund acts similar to a disaster relief fund, but instead for public health issues. DeLauro’s bill, the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Act, hopes to add $5 billion to the fund to help people in Connecticut.

“If we can do it for fires, if we can do it for floods, we can do this for the public health,” said DeLauro.

Local health department leaders agree that funding is needed, along with research for a future universal flu vaccine.

“We need to advocate now for improved influenza vaccine, as well as continue doing the preventive activity we are doing now,” said Leslie Balch, the Director of Health at Quinnipiac Valley Health District.

Health leaders are urging people get vaccinated this season and if they are sick, avoid public places such as school or work.

“Get the flu shot. That is the single most important thing that you can do to sort of protect yourselves and your loved ones,” said Byron Kennedy.

Kennedy is the Director of Health for the city of New Haven and said even a 3 week-old baby has been hospitalized with the flu in his district. Kennedy is concerned about local health departments receiving the flu shot vaccines later in the season than commercial pharmacies.

Health leaders also discussed how insurance providers could help in flu prevention, by allowing flu shots to always be covered no matter where people go.

“We don’t want to hold a patient, if you will, or a family hostage about getting something as critical as a flu vaccine,” said Kennedy.

The greatest hope of the group is that the flu epidemic can be stopped and so can the loss of life.

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