Teen dies of flu complications, SC coroner says. It’s the first child death of season
A 13-year-old from South Carolina died from flu-related complications at a hospital in North Carolina on Friday, according to information the county coroner received from the N.C. Medical Examiner’s office.
Her name was Arden Bradley, WYFF and WSPA reported.
Arden was born in Shelby, North Carolina, but was a student at Gaffney Middle School in South Carolina, according to her obituary. Gaffney is less than 10 miles from the state border.
“She loved her family, K-POP music and especially BTS, painting, photography, animals and nutcrackers,” the obituary states.
Arden died at Atrium Health-Cleveland in Shelby, according to the obituary. Her funeral was held Monday in Gaffney.
Cherokee County coroner Dennis Fowler told McClatchy News he was informed of her death because she lived in his county.
“The case was not investigated by (the N.C. Medical Examiner) since it was a natural death certified by an attending physician,” Fowler said. “My office was removed from jurisdiction due to the death occurring out of state. The call to me by the (N.C. Medical Examiner) was a general courtesy since she lived in my county. I was told the cause of death was the flu.”
Arden is the first child to die from flu-related complications in South Carolina this influenza season, according to previous reports from state public health officials.
As of Jan. 25, 51 people have died of flu-related illnesses in the state, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control said in its latest report. Fifty-four have died in North Carolina, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human services.
Nationally, the CDC estimates about 10,000 people have died from flu-related illnesses this season. At least 68 were children, data shows.
