Elizabeth student dies after being diagnosed with the flu

A third child has died after being diagnosed with the flu, but it is not known if his death is directly related to the illness, authorities said.

Elizabeth Public Schools Superintendent Olga Hugelmeyer posted a notice on the district's Facebook page to parents announcing that one of the students had died.

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"While it has been confirmed that the student had been diagnosed with influenza, it remains unclear whether or not the virus was the primary contributing factor to the child's passing," Hugelmeyer wrote in the notice.

In December, a 5-year-old girl in Ocean County was the state's first reported flu death, and Neveah Hernandez, 6, of North Bergen died from flu-like symptoms last week.

The New Jersey Department of Health is investigating the Elizabeth student's death.

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The district said it had consulted with its medical adviser and the Elizabeth Health Department to establish protocols in an effort to reduce cases of the flu and other viruses common at this time of the year. Hugelmeyer said the district is asking students to stay home if they are sick and recommending getting a flu shot.

This flu season is one of the toughest for New Jersey as well as across the country, with the state Department of Health rating the flu activity level as high in all areas.

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According to statistics from the Health Department, as of Feb. 10, there had been 14,065 diagnosed cases of the flu. Bergen County, the largest county in the state population wise, leads the pack with 1,839 cases. At least 63 people across the state have died.

Dr. Barbara Schreibman, an emergency room physician at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, said last week that Feb. 12 was the busiest day of the year and that a quarter of the people coming in were complaining of flu and flu-like symptoms. Those included coughing, sore throat, muscle aches, headache and fatigue.

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In a video posted on the Health Department's website, state epidemiologist Dr. Tina Tan said the state and the country are experiencing "high levels of influenza" this season. Tan provided New Jersey residents with tips on how to prevent illness and what to do if they are sick.