The latest victim of the state flu is a little girl from Lowell

LOWELL – A 4-year-old girl, Lowell, is believed to be a victim of the second pediatric death associated with the influenza virus that occurred in Middlesex County this season and the third of the state.

McDonough Funeral Home confirmed Wednesday morning that Puthiraksmey "Raksmey" Sopheak, who died Saturday at Lowell General Hospital, was the child whose death, linked to the flu, had been reported to the health authorities of the United States. State on Tuesday.

Funeral Director Jack McDonough said the family was asking for confidentiality and refused to talk to a reporter.

The girl's father, Sopheak Paak, told WCVB on Tuesday night that Raksmey fell ill last week and took her to Lowell General Hospital last Tuesday, when her fever had reached 99 degrees and that she coughed with blood. He added that she had been told that she had the flu and that they had been sent home with the order to give her acetaminophen, known as the Tylenol brand name.

Paak, distressed and moved, told WCVB that Raksmey looked better at first, but took a bad turn on Saturday. He called 911 and an ambulance brought him back to the hospital where she died. Paak said he feared that Raksmey, who had just returned from Cambodia in September, is suffering from another illness and is awaiting the last word of the medical examiner on the cause of his death.

"We offer our deepest condolences to the family for the tragic death of their daughter," Lowell General Hospital spokesman Will Courtney said in a statement.

"Patient privacy rules prohibit us from commenting further for the moment."

According to an obituary from McDonough Funeral Home, Raksmey was born at Lowell General Hospital on December 30, 2014, daughter of Paak and Sokkruy Yang, both of Lowell.

Visiting hours will be Friday from 3pm. at the Glory Buddhist Temple, located at 24 Cambridge Street. Funerals will be held Saturday morning. A procession will leave the temple at 8 am towards the Merrimack Crematorium at Merrimack, N.H.

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