TWO BOSTON CHILDREN under the age of two have died from flu-related illness, marking the city’s first pediatric influenza deaths since 2013 and raising alarms as flu cases surge and vaccination rates remain low.
One of the deaths was reported by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health earlier this week, while the second was confirmed overnight, bringing the statewide total of pediatric flu-related deaths this season to four.
“This is obviously a devastating loss for both of their families,” Boston Public Health Commissioner Dr. Bisola Ojikutu said Tuesday. “And we actually in Boston have not had a pediatric flu death since 2013 so it’s clear that we’re having a particularly bad season, particularly for children.”…