NORTH CAROLINA -- The latest numbers are in from the CDC. 67 have died of flu-related illness in North Carolina, this season, with at least 21 new deaths occurring over the past two weeks.

"This strain that we're seeing more of, the H3N2, it seems more virulent, so it just seems a little bit more severe," Dr. Linda Collazo of UNC Health Care said.

As the flu season continues to get worse, there's more concern over the threat it poses to children.

"Children are more susceptible to the flu, just based on their environment," said Dr. Soma Johnkutty of UNC Health Care. "They're in schools, daycares, and environments where infection can spread pretty quickly, and where they may not be washing their hands all the time, where they can pick up toys and mouth those kinds of things, spreading germs that way."

One North Carolina child, six-year-old Emily Muth of Cary, died of flu-related illness, this month. And even some doctors are having difficulty keeping their children healthy, this season.

"We have a four-year-old, a two-year-old, and a six-week-old," said Dr. Daniel Park of UNC Health Care. "Both the older girls picked up bugs, the past couple of weeks. And it's just hard to quarantine your own children. So you know, our youngest daughter, she was more susceptible. Her lungs are smaller. The virus just hit her harder."

Park said his daughters are expected to be fine, because they were treated immediately. Pediatricians say you should get the flu vaccination for your child, yourself, and everyone else in your family to mitigate the risk. You should also wash your hands and seek medical treatment, as soon as flu symptoms arise.

Pediatricians say you have a chance to kill the flu virus with treatment, within the first 48 hours. After 48 hours, you can't kill the virus, though you can slow its reproduction in your body.

If you would like to donate to the Muth family, you can do so here.