Despite a dip in cases, flu remains at ‘very high’ levels in Mass., R.I., and N.H.

The flu has so far caused 66 deaths, including four in children. Last year at this time, there were 33 deaths. “We haven’t seen many pediatric deaths in Massachusetts, thank goodness, for a while, but we are seeing them this year,” said Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “Overall, it’s shaping up to be a particularly bad flu season.”

Although the country is well into flu season, health experts continue to strongly recommend vaccinations. Barouch cited data from the United Kingdom suggesting the current flu vaccine is 70 to 80 percent effective at preventing pediatric hospitalizations and 30 to 40 percent effective at preventing adult hospitalizations. Read Full Article…