11-Year-Old Dies of Severe Flu Complications: Warning Signs Parents Must Never Ignore

A young boy from Alabama died a week after he was hospitalized due to complications from a severe case of the flu, family members have informed. Eleven-year-old Jace Watkins was in the intensive care unit

at the hospital. After Watkins was diagnosed with the flu, he began having seizures and, at one point, stopped breathing. Doctors said Jace’s condition began to worsen after three days of hospitalisation, as his brain started to swell and the inflammation did not subside despite being put on heavy antibiotics. There was no oxygen reaching his brain. According to his family members, Jace, a fifth grader, had no other underlying health issues. “He was a premature baby, but other than that, he’s had inhalers and stuff, but that was years ago. He was telling everybody he was fine; he felt fine. And then, I guess he started throwing up that night and had a seizure,” Jace’s aunt, Sabrina Parsons, told CNN.

What is the flu?

A flu, also known as influenza, is a contagious respiratory infection caused by viruses that affect the nose, throat, and lungs, leading to symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, and extreme tiredness, which usually appear suddenly and can range from mild to severe, sometimes requiring hospitalization, and is best prevented with annual vaccination and good hygiene. According to doctors, it is different from the "stomach flu", and while rest and fluids help, antibiotics do not work because it is viral. The flu season happens when cases go up dramatically – in the Northern Hemisphere, which includes the United States, it is October through May. The highest number of cases usually happens between December and February.

Who is at a higher risk of complications from the flu?

Certain health conditions can put you at higher risk for severe illness from the flu. This includes life-threatening complications that require hospitalization. You’re at higher risk for serious illness if you:

• Have asthma, COPD, or any other chronic lung disease
• Have a history of kidney, liver, neurological, heart, or blood vessels disease, which includes stroke
• Have a condition that causes issues with muscle function or makes it difficult to cough, swallow, or clear fluids from your airways.
• Have diabetes
• Have a weakened immune system
• Have a blood disorder like sickle cell disease
• Have a BMI greater than 30, which means being overweight or obese
• Are under five years old or over 65 years of age
• Are pregnant
• Are under 19 years old and take aspirin regularly.

Signs and symptoms of flu

Doctors say the symptoms of flu usually come on quickly and include:

• High fever
• Chills
• Body aches
• Cough and cold
• Body aches
• Headaches
• Sore throat
• Runny and stuffy nose
• Tiredness or feeling run down.
• Diarrhoea and vomiting

You may not have all of these symptoms.

Can the flu be deadly?

Yes, doctors say you can die from influenza, as it leads to severe complications like pneumonia, worsening chronic conditions like heart and lung disease, sepsis, or brain and heart inflammation, especially in high-risk groups like the elderly, young children, pregnant people, and those with weakened immune systems. While most people recover, the flu is a serious respiratory illness that causes hundreds of thousands of deaths globally each year.