Old Mill Student Dies After Positive Flu Test

An kindergartner died Friday morning at Marin General Hospital after testing positive for influenza, sending shockwaves throughout the community.

“We are truly saddened by the death of one of our young students,” said district superintendent Ken Benny. “Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the family. We will respect their privacy and appropriately share our condolences.”

The Marin County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy on the 5-year-old boy today but an exact cause of death won’t be determined until the results of toxicology and histology tests come back in the next two to six weeks.

The boy’s parents informed Old Mill officials on Thursday evening that he was experiencing flu-like symptoms and would be kept at home Friday. and personnel were called to the family’s home at around 8:30 a.m. Friday, and the boy was rushed to Marin General Hospital, according to Sheriff’s Lt. Scott Anderson.

The boy tested positive for influenza at the hospital and was pronounced dead at around 9:45 a.m., Anderson said. Anderson declined to comment on whether the boy had any other medical conditions that could have exacerbated the flu symptoms.

"We have had our first flu-related death of the season,” said Dr. Anju Goel, the county's deputy public health officer, emphasizing that it was unknown if influenza was actually the cause of death.

Goel sent a letter Friday to local hospitals, clinics and pediatricians and family doctors, notifying them of the boy’s death and he had tested positive for influenza. She informed medical providers the health department was reaching out “to close contacts of the child and asking those at higher risk to contact their medical providers to discuss” antiviral medications.

Goel said those medications are 70-90 percent effective in preventing the flu, but are not recommended “if more than 48 hours have elapsed since the last exposure to an infectious person.”

“Note that although all children aged under 5 years (of age) are considered at higher risk for complications from influenza, the highest risk is for those ages under 2 years, with the highest hospitalization and death rates among infants aged under 6 months,” Goel wrote.

Goel said her office had reached out to Old Mill parents with a standard exposure notice.

“If there is a child who has been at school during a period of communicability or infectiousness, we let families know that their child may have been exposed,” she said.

She did not, however, recommend parents keep children out of school unless they were experiencing flu symptoms.

That message appears to have reached to parents. There were 18 students absent from Old Mill today, in line with a 6 percent absentee rate for this time of year, according to district officials. Approximately 310 students attend Old Mill, and the student’s kindergarten class has about 23 students in it.

Goel said because the influenza vaccine is not required for school entry, neither the county nor the district keeps records on how many students have received the influenza vaccine within the district.

Old Mill Principal Kandee Adams sent out an email Friday afternoon to parents informing them of the news and providing suggestions for communicating with children about the boy's death. Benny followed with  an email to the entire school district community Friday evening in an effort “to dispel any rumors you may have heard about the cause of death.” He emphasized that an exact cause of death had not been determined.

Benny said district officials would keep Old Mill parents informed of any news and recommendations from the county’s public health department. He also urged parents to maintain “as normal a routine as possible,” not speculating beyond the known facts when discussing the matter with children and not to feel “compelled to make ‘everything ok.’ Kids need to feel that their home is a safe place to express their feelings.”

Several counselors are on campus today to provide support for students and staff, said Mark Barmore, the district’s director of student support services.

“That support will be available on into the week depending on how much people want it,” he said.