NEW YORK (WKBW) — 11-year-old Luca Calanni of Hamburg, who was laid to rest Saturday morning, was one of two flu-related pediatric deaths in New York this flu season and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) has confirmed there has now been a third.
The information was disclosed in the NYSDOH Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report, a spokesperson with the NYSDOH confirmed to 7 Eyewitness News the death occurred in Central New York.
Further details could not be released due to patient privacy.
Erie County health officials said in early January normally influenza strain A occurs around this time and influenza strain B occurs around March or April, but officials were seeing strain B much earlier in the season.
New York State's online flu tracker shows the state has had nearly 44,000 cases of the flu reported as of the week ending January 11th.
Oishei Children's Hospital, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital and the United Memorial Medical Center (UMMC) in Batavia have all implemented enhanced visitation policies due to the severity of the flu.
Local daycare facilities are also doing what they can to help prevent the spread of the flu.
