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First child death reported from flu this season in Virginia
First child death reported from flu this season in Virginia
Thomas Robertson | trobertson@wtop.com
January 15, 2026, 5:36 PM
Flu season has taken a grim turn in Virginia, as the state’s health department has reported the first death of a child caused by complications associated with influenza.
In order to protect the family’s privacy, the only information the Virginia Department of Health is releasing about the child is that they were age 4 or younger and that the death was reported in the eastern region of the state.
“We at the Virginia Department of Health, are broken hearted and extend our sympathies to the family of this child during this difficult time,” State Health Commissioner Karen Shelton said in a news release. “Even though the flu is common, it can cause serious illness and even death. I urge everyone who is eligible to receive the flu vaccine to do so not only to protect themselves, but to protect those around them.”
{snip}
Thomas Robertson
Thomas Robertson is an Associate Producer and Web Writer/Editor at WTOP. After graduating in 2019 from James Madison University, Thomas moved away from Virginia for the first time in his life to cover the local government beat for a small daily newspaper in Zanesville, Ohio.
trobertson@wtop.com
Thomas Robertson | trobertson@wtop.com
January 15, 2026, 5:36 PM
Flu season has taken a grim turn in Virginia, as the state’s health department has reported the first death of a child caused by complications associated with influenza.
In order to protect the family’s privacy, the only information the Virginia Department of Health is releasing about the child is that they were age 4 or younger and that the death was reported in the eastern region of the state.
“We at the Virginia Department of Health, are broken hearted and extend our sympathies to the family of this child during this difficult time,” State Health Commissioner Karen Shelton said in a news release. “Even though the flu is common, it can cause serious illness and even death. I urge everyone who is eligible to receive the flu vaccine to do so not only to protect themselves, but to protect those around them.”
{snip}
Thomas Robertson
Thomas Robertson is an Associate Producer and Web Writer/Editor at WTOP. After graduating in 2019 from James Madison University, Thomas moved away from Virginia for the first time in his life to cover the local government beat for a small daily newspaper in Zanesville, Ohio.
trobertson@wtop.com