More US children have died from the flu this season than in any year since the 2009-2010 swine flu pandemic, according to a federal report released Friday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 216 paediatric deaths so far, surpassing last year’s 207—with the flu season still ongoing. Officials note that the final tally for the 2023–2024 season won’t be confirmed until later this year.
“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,” said Dr Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Paediatrics.
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One contributor to this year’s increased number of deaths is the growing vaccine hesitancy in America. The flu vaccination rate for US children has plummeted from about 64% five years ago to 49% this season.
O’Leary said that, while flu vaccinations may not prevent people from contracting symptoms, research shows they are highly effective at preventing hospitalisations and deaths.
Amid a broader decline in childhood vaccination rates, many paediatric clinics are also grappling with staff shortages, further straining routine immunisation efforts.
CDC officials have described the season as “ highly severe” and estimate that so far there have been at least 47 million illnesses, 610,000 hospitalisations and 26,000 deaths this season. The season has seen more of a mix of flu strains circulating than in many other years, with two different type A strains — H1N1 and H3N2 — causing many infections.
However, the number of cases has been waning since February, and last week all 50 states were reporting low or minimal flu activity.
