US Flu Outbreak Turns Deadly: 52 Pediatric Deaths Reported, Unvaccinated Kids Most at Risk

At least 52 children have died of the flu so far this season, with over 90 per cent not receiving the flu shots, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported. “We are absolutely bracing ourselves,” Michele Slafkosky, executive director of the nonprofit Families Fighting Flu, was quoted by NBC News. “We’re concerned that we’re not even at the peak of flu season yet.” Overall flu activity picked up again last week, according to the CDC report, following several weeks of decline. The agency estimates that there have been at least 20 million flu cases so far this season, resulting in 270,000 hospitalizations and 11,000 deaths. It is not uncommon to have two waves of flu in a single season, especially as one strain replaces another.

H3N2 subclade K is spreading

Doctors say even though much of the flu that is going around continues to be a flu A strain, specifically, H3N2 subclade K, a B strain has also begun picking up steam. Surveillance data from the past flu seasons show upticks in flu in January and February after late December spikes.Also read: Why the Holiday Flu Surge Is Pushing Illness Rates to Record Highs Across the United States?

The highest rate of children hospitalised

According to the CDC, this season has also seen the highest rate of children hospitalized with the flu in the last 15 years. By the end of December, the weekly rate of kids under age 18 years hospitalized for flu had reached the highest level observed since the 2010-2011 season. And for the week ending Jan. 24, the percentage of emergency department visits that resulted in a diagnosis of flu saw an increase among kids 5 to 17 years old, while either remaining stable or falling for all other age groups. Doctors have blamed it on vaccination rates, which continue to fall. In January, less than half of children six months to 17 years old - 45.1 per cent had received the flu shot this season. The 2024-2025 season was the deadliest on record for kids, with 289 pediatric flu deaths. By this time last year, 47 kids had died. Earlier this month, the administration ended the longstanding childhood vaccine recommendations – finishing the guidance that all children should get a yearly flu shot starting at 6 months, recommending instead that parents consult with their pediatricians about whether their kids should get a flu shot. However, major medical organizations including American Academy of Pediatrics have decried the changes and continue to recommend the yearly flu shots.

1. What is flu?The flu is an illness you get from the influenza virus. It causes symptoms like head and body aches, sore throat, fever and respiratory symptoms, which can be severe. Flu is most common in winter months, when many people can get sick at once.
2. When is flu season?Flu season, when cases of the flu go up dramatically, in the Northern Hemisphere is October through May. The highest number of cases usually happen between December and February.
3. How common is the flu?The flu is one of the most common infectious diseases. Every flu season, about 20 to 40 million people in the US catch the flu.
4. How would I know if I have flu or COVID?Since they have similar symptoms, the only way to know for sure if you have the flu or COVID-19 is to get tested. They both have a risk of serious illness. But different viruses cause these infections, and providers treat them with different medications.