2-Year-Old Dies from the Flu: ‘Our Baby Boy Gained His Wings’

New Jersey has reported its first pediatric flu death of the season.

The New Jersey Department of Health confirmed the death in a news release on Friday, Jan. 9. It did not identify the child, but noted that he was from the “northern region of the state, was under five years old and had no known comorbidities.”

Giselle Castillo identified the child as her son, Isaias Castillo IV, on Facebook, writing alongside a photo, “Our family suffered the biggest loss of our lives. Our baby boy gained his wings and is watching over us with his big beautiful eyes and beautiful soul. Till we meet again mi pedacito.”

Isaias’ online obituary noted that he died at the age of 2 on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Morristown Medical Center. He was born in Livingston on June 11, 2023.

“Baby Isaias loved playing with his dinosaurs and was the light of every room he was in,” his obituary read. “He touched every single one of our hearts with his beautiful smile and unique personality. We will cherish the unconditional love he gave us.”

The New Jersey Department of Health did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the death.

Acting Health Commissioner Jeff Brown said in the release, “This flu season is already shaping up to be a very serious one, with more cases than previous years and, tragically, one child’s death this week. We extend our deepest condolences to the child’s family,”

A GoFundMe, launched to raise money for the family in the wake of the toddler’s death, noted that Isaias died “due to complications from the flu.”

This comes as flu cases have reportedly been on the rise in the U.S. More than 7 million cases of the flu have been reported this season — which have resulted in an estimated 81,000 hospitalizations and 3,100 deaths, according to recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Health officials in New Jersey also noted that it has seen “elevated” numbers of people who are sick with the flu and the number of people visiting their doctors, emergency departments and hospitals due to their illness.

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The rise in flu cases have mainly been attributed to a variant of Influenza A (H3N2) known as “subclade K.” Experts said that people can mitigate it by getting the flu shot, which is recommended for “everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every season, especially people at higher risk,” per the CDC.

“By getting vaccinated, we can each do our part in reducing the spread of flu and other respiratory viruses in New Jersey and helping prevent serious complications,” Brown said.