A little girl in Canarsie who died on Feb. 10 may have been the fourth child in the city to die of the flu this season.
Police received a 911 call at around 8 pm from the Bay View Houses in Canarsie on Shore Parkway. Medical personnel then brought 5-year-old Elisa Murray to Brookdale Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to a police spokesman.
Murray exhibited flu-like symptoms and the flu is seen as a possible cause of her death, according to a medical examiner spokeswoman, but she said the medical examiner has not yet determined the cause of the death.
The Health Department did confirm on Feb. 12 that a fourth child had died from the flu during this flu season, however, though the department is not releasing any information on who the child is, according to a spokesman.
Three other city children have died from the flu in the past two weeks, the New York Post reported.
Murray’s mother found her unresponsive in the bathroom of their Canarsie home. She and a neighbor tried to revive the girl before help came, also according to the Post report.
The Health Department is urging people to get a flu shot during this year’s particularly bad flu season.
“The influenza season is far from over, and it is not too late to get the flu shot. We urge parents to protect themselves and their families by getting this potentially life-saving vaccine today,” said the department spokesman. “In addition to health care settings, flu vaccines are also available at pharmacies for children as young as two years old.”
