St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - The flu is being blamed for the death of a child in Minnesota.

It was the first pediatric flu-related death reported in the state since the start of the current influenza season last fall. The State Department of Health says the case was among the six flu-related deaths reported during the week that ended January 18th and raised the total for the season to 31. During the previous flu season, there were a total of 95 flu-related deaths and one involving a child.

The health department's weekly report on flu activity also shows the number of hospitalizations was steady last week at 187, which has pushed the season's total above 1,200. By comparison, there were over 2,500 hospitalizations for flu-related complications during the entire 2018-2019 flu season.

The number of probable outbreaks reported by Minnesota schools ramped up considerably last week, but the 113 reports were still below the peak reached just before the holiday break. Influenza activity in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities remained low last week with just 4 reported to state health officials.

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