11-Year-Old Florida Boy Dies of Flu Complications

Health officials have confirmed an 11-year-old Florida boy has died of rare complications from the flu.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports Tony Garcia died Dec. 17, more than a month after he was diagnosed with Influenza A.

The boy's mother Frances Flores says he complained of a headache Nov. 14 and later developed a fever. When he didn't improve, she took him to a pediatrician who told her to continue administering care and he would get better. When he had trouble breathing a few days later, she took him to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg. He was diagnosed with "necrotizing bronchial pneumonia."

His condition worsened when doctors tried to drain fluid on his lungs. His heart stopped beating and he was placed on life support.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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