Peralta had reportedly been ill for at least two weeks before his death and, according to the Associated Press, Mrs. Peralta had told reporters that her husband felt pressure behind his ears and headaches for a week or more and had gone to see a doctor.

An article in The New York Times quoted Sen. Peralta’s director of communications, Chris Sosa, as saying, “It was like pulling teeth to get him (Peralta) to talk about not feeling well. He just thought he was having symptoms related to getting the flu shot.”

Speaking to the New York Post, the state senator’s despondent widow said her husband suffered sudden septic shock following two weeks of flu-like symptoms.

“All they said is that he was septic,” Evelyn Peralta revealed, after meeting with officials with the city Medical Examiner’s office.

“And that led to organ failure,” she said of her 47-year-old husband, the state Senate’s first Dominican-American member.

“They need to do additional tests,” she said.

“There is no final conclusion yet. They don’t know” what caused the fatal blood infection, she said.

“His body was poisoning itself.”

She added, tearfully, “I just came back from viewing the body. The doctor said it’s rare, [given] his age and that it happened so quick … he was healthy. He was a healthy guy.”

The senator, who represented a Queens district that included Corona, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Woodside, had complained of pressure in his head and shortness of breath before developing a fever on Tuesday, the widow had said.

A doctor “didn’t find anything” at the time. But by Wednesday, he was having trouble breathing and when he became incoherent, she rushed him to Elmhurst Hospital where he later died.

Peralta’s death was attributed to sepsis—an overstimulation of the immune system triggered by an infection and leading to septic shock.

Health authorities do not know what caused Peralta to develop sepsis.

Currently, there is no evidence that Sen. Peralta’s sudden death was caused by the influenza vaccination he had recently received.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), common side effects of the influenza vaccine include soreness, redness, and/or swelling from the shot, headache, fever, nausea and muscle aches.

The influenza vaccine can occasionally cause fainting and the vaccine has been associated with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), which is inflammation of the peripheral nervous system.

Additionally, the influenza vaccine can cause severe allergic reactions that may be fatal, including difficulty breathing, hoarseness or wheezing, swelling around the eyes or lips, hives, paleness, weakness and a fast heartbeat or dizziness.

There are ingredients in influenza vaccines that can cause some people to have reactions.

Learn more about influenza and influenza vaccines here.

Baxter Dmitry

Baxter Dmitry is a writer at Your News Wire. He covers politics, business and entertainment. Speaking truth to power since he learned to talk, Baxter has travelled in over 80 countries and won arguments in every single one. Live without fear.
Email: [email protected]
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