California reports its first RSV and flu death in a child under the age of 5

California on Monday reported its first death of a child under 5 due to flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, this season.

Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the United States has seen an unusually early and hard flu season alongside a spike in cases of RSV, which causes a cold-like illness in children. California saw a rise of RSV infections in October, two months earlier than usual, the California Department of Public Health said in a news release.

The release did not say where the child lived or where the death occurred, citing patient confidentiality.

“Our hearts go out to the family of this young child,” CDPH Director Tomás Aragón said in a statement. “This tragic event serves as a stark reminder that respiratory viruses can be deadly, especially in very young children and infants.”

The department said young children, especially those who were born prematurely or who have underlying conditions, are most vulnerable to severe complications from RSV and the flu.

The rise in RSV and flu as the coronavirus continues to circulate has some health officials worried about a “tripledemic” this winter.

[CDC warns of tough winter as flu, RSV and COVID collide]

“COVID has impacted the seasonal patterns of all these respiratory infections,” Tina Tan, a pediatric infectious-diseases specialist at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, told The Washington Post earlier this month as RSV cases were surging and flu cases were starting to rise. “Whether the pattern will go back to the way it was pre-COVID, I don’t think anyone really knows, but it does make it more complicated to provide the care that people need when you have three viruses that can cause serious diseases surging at the same time.”

California’s health department issued a statewide advisory Saturday, saying hospitalizations from respiratory viruses in the coming months would continue to strain hospitals, which have been overwhelmed since COVID-19 set in. In Orange County, Calif., officials declared a health emergency this month, citing the high number of respiratory illnesses, including RSV, that were causing pediatric patients to be hospitalized.

Across the country, there were 8,597 cases of RSV detected the week of Nov. 5, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This season, there have been 1,300 deaths from flu, according to CDC estimates as of Nov. 10.

While there is federal data on flu-related deaths, there is none on RSV-associated deaths, because the disease is not a “nationally notifiable condition,” CDC spokesperson Kristen Nordlund said in a statement.

In its Monday news release, the California health department’s safety recommendations included getting vaccinated, boosted and treated for flu and COVID-19. The department also advised Californians to stay home when they are sick, wear a mask, wash their hands and cover coughs or sneezes to protect themselves and others.

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The Washington Post’s Fenit Nirappil contributed to this report.