A 21-year-old from Pennsylvania passed away from septic shock mere days after suffering from flu symptoms over the holiday season.
Kyler Baughman, an athletic aspiring personal trainer from Latrobe, had a runny nose and appeared “rundown” during a family visit before Christmas on December 23, said his mother, Beverly Baughman, who said, “I think he thought, ‘I just got the flu; I’ll be all right. ‘I’ll just go rest a bit.’”
Baughman, who worked as a mover at a local furniture store as well as Walmart, went back to see his family on Christmas night and returned to work the following morning, but had to leave early because he was feeling poorly, PEOPLE reports.
Baughman’s fiancée, Olivia Marcanio, told WPXI, “He kinda just laid down and went about his day and that was the day he was coughing and said his chest hurt. He had a mild cough.”
But the cough and fever got worse, so Baughman checked into a Westmoreland County emergency room on December 27 and was subsequently flown to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh. Less than 24 hours later, he was dead from complications caused by the flu.
Beverly said,
Organ failure due to septic shock caused by influenza. It doesn’t seem real.
Most people who get the flu virus recover in less than 14 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But up to 650,000 deaths caused by respiratory diseases associated with seasonal flu occur yearly. Just a decade ago, the estimate was 250,000 to 500,000, the CDC says, meaning these rising numbers emphasize the need for prevention.
Baughman’s parents said that they think their son did not get vaccinated this season, and while reports state that the flu vaccine is less effective this year than last, it still cuts a person’s chances of getting infected by as much as 60%.
Todd Baughman, Kyler’s father, is warning others not to let flu symptoms go unchecked. “Try and know your body. Don’t let things go. Whenever you have a fever for multiple days, don’t let it go, get it taken care of.”
