Montana has recorded its first death due to influenza this season.
RiverStone Health and the state health department confirm a Yellowstone County child died Dec. 24, the first death and the first pediatric death of the 2021-2022 influenza season in Montana. RiverStone reports the child had underlying health conditions and was not vaccinated against the flu. There is no other information on the child.
Nationwide the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported no pediatric flu deaths for the week ending Dec. 25, 2021. The last pediatric flu-related death in Montana was in the 2018-2019 influenza season.
Influenza cases have been confirmed in 35 counties across the state. RiverStone says more than 300 cases have been reported in Yellowstone County, more than half of them in children and teens under 18.
