Child with flu-like illness dies in Charlottesville

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- A 9-year-old Albemarle County boy who had been diagnosed with a flu-like illness died Saturday at the University of Virginia Medical Center.

Carson Raymond, a third-grader at Woodbrook Elementary School, had an underlying heart condition, his parents said Sunday. It was not immediately known whether he had swine flu.

"Carson was just a very unlucky boy that this happened to," said Jennifer Raymond, the boy's mother.

While it was not clear if Carson's death was tied to swine flu, the number of deaths among young people diagnosed with swine flu has increased in recent weeks.

Nineteen children and teenagers died across the country last week from the illness, bringing to 76 the total number of fatalities of those under 18 years old since the flu epidemic began last spring. Most of the young people who have died from the flu had an underlying medical condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There have been eight deaths in Virginia attributed to swine flu, the state health department said.

Many schools across the state have reported elevated levels of student absences, primarily due to the flu. As of Friday, roughly one out of every five students at Carson's school was out sick.

Albemarle schools spokeswoman Maury Brown said counselors were available yesterday at Woodbrook to help students, teachers and others.

Dr. Lilian Peake, director of the Thomas Jefferson Health District, said she could not comment on the boy's case but did confirm that a child diagnosed with flu-like symptoms had died.

Carson's parents said they hope their son's death will not cause a panic. The boy's cause of death, they said, has not yet been determined.

Carson's father, John Raymond, said the boy turned 9 last week. He loved Pokemon and reading Harry Potter books and playing football with his two younger brothers. "He was a super sweet, super smart little boy," John Raymond said.

A Friday-night prayer vigil for Carson at U.Va. hospital drew about 350 people, his parents said.

"We've been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support," Jennifer Raymond said. "We've been buoyed by it."

Brian McNeill is a staff writer for The Daily Progress of Charlottesville.

Times-Dispatch staff writer Jeremy Slayton contributed to this report.