A Howard County teenager died of flu this week, health officials said. It was the latest of nine pediatric flu deaths nationally this year. Five of those deaths occurred since Jan. 25, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This tragic death is highly unusual,” the county health officer, Dr. Peter L. Beilenson, said in a news release. “Most people who get the flu recover after a few days, but getting a flu shot and following common hygiene precautions can greatly reduce the risk of contracting the flu.”

According to a spokesperson from the health department, the victim died this week after becoming “ill with flu symptoms that got progressively worse.” She said the boy had no underlying health problems.

Most people recover from influenza after a few days, but for those with a weakened immune system the condition could become fatal.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five Americans get the flu every year. Of these, 200,000 are hospitalized and about 36,000 die from influenza-related complications. Last year, 86 children between the ages of 15 and 17 died of influenza. Seniors present a high risk of complications from the flu. That’s why the majority of flu deaths occur among this category of age.

Children should be the first to get vaccinated and the CDC is urging all parents to pay special attention to them. Although there are rare complications in this age group, vaccinating children can stop the spread of flu.