The state's Department of Health confirms that the flu has claimed the life of a child in Connecticut for the first time this season.

The Department of Health says the child was younger than 5 years old and lived in New Haven County, but didn't provide any additional information.

Doctors at Norwalk Hospital say there has been a steady rise in people coming in with the flu. The child who died was one of nine flu-related deaths in Connecticut in the past week.

So far this season, 32 people have died and 1,300 have been hospitalized statewide.

Dr. Sanjeev Rao, a physician at Fairfield Urgent Care Center, says it's important to know the difference between the flu and the common cold. He says with common cold, you don't get headaches or chills.

Rao also says flu symptoms come on more suddenly than a cold, and must be addressed before the virus makes it into the lungs.

"That is the risk with the flu, that is why it kills people, because for some reason it goes into the lungs and starts an inflammation process in the lungs. And you won't know until it's too late," says Rao.

Dr. Rao says that if your infant is not crying, it could be a sign of dehydration, and they should get checked out.