U.S. Sees Most Child Flu Deaths Since 2009

MONDAY, May 5, 2025 (HealthDay News) —  More U.S. children have died from the flu this season than in any year since the 2009 swine flu pandemic, according to a new federal report.

So far, 216 pediatric deaths have been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s already more than the 207 reported last year, and experts expect the final count to be higher.

“This number that we have now is almost certainly an undercount, and one that — when the season is declared over, and they compile all the data — it’s almost certain to go up,” Dr. Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told The Associated Press.

The flu season isn’t over yet, and the CDC says it won’t finish counting deaths from the 2023-2024 season until the fall.

Experts suspect one reason for the severe toll is a drop in flu vaccination rates among kids. This season, just 49% of children were vaccinated, down from 64% five years ago.

While flu shots don’t always prevent symptoms, they are very effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths, O’Leary added.

The season has been tough for all age groups, however. The CDC estimates that at least 47 million people have gotten sick, with 610,000 hospitalizations and 26,000 deaths so far.

Of the 5,200 adults hospitalized with the flu this season, 95% had an underlying health condition. But only about half of the 2,000 hospitalized children had such conditions, like asthma or obesity, AP reported.

The CDC hasn’t said how many of the children who died were vaccinated. The agency also did not make an expert available to discuss the report.

There is some good news: Flu activity has been dropping since February. Last week, all 50 states reported low or minimal flu levels.

Unlike some years, this season saw two different flu strains circulating widely: H1N1 and H3N2. Still, early data showed that the flu vaccine worked well to prevent serious illness.

The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get a flu shot each year.

Experts say fewer kids are getting vaccinated for many reasons. Some families are hesitant because of vaccine misinformation. Others may face access issues: Many pediatric offices are understaffed and no longer offer evening vaccine clinics, and some pharmacies don’t vaccinate children, AP said.

”My hope is that this season will be a bit of wake up call for folks that we actually do need to vaccinate our kids against influenza,” O’Leary said.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has more on healthy habits to prevent flu.

SOURCE: The Associated Press, May 2, 2025