Chief Medical Officer Dr. Merlene Fredericks is urging the public to remain vigilant and guard against vector borne diseases as the wet season progresses.

The warning comes on the heels of confirmation from CARPHA that a nine year-old has died as a result of contracting the H1N1 virus.

“Persons will recall that the island had a huge swine flu (H1N1) outbreak in 2009, with thousands of children affected, and we actually had to shut down some schools because of the outbreak," Chief Medical Officer Dr. Merlene Fredericks said. "But in 2009 we had no deaths in children from this disease. So we are investigating the situation to ensure that the child in particular didn’t have any underlying medical conditions which may have predisposed her to the outcome."

Dr. Fredericks said the public can access the flu shots, available at all wellness centres on the island at no cost.