Flu deaths among children during the 2023-’24 season have tied a record high, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The total grew to 199 after two more deaths were reported. That matches the 2019-’20 season and represents a record high for a non-pandemic season. In the 2009-’10 flu pandemic season, there were 288 pediatric deaths.
“Any number of pediatric deaths is a deeply tragic reminder that influenza can cause severe illness,” the CDC said Friday.
Seventy-three of the children who died in 2023-’24 were under 5 years and 126 were ages 5-17, according to the CDC. Among children with known vaccination or medical status, 83% were not fully vaccinated and 49% had a pre-existing medical condition.
Across all ages, the CDC estimates flu caused at least 35 million illnesses, 400,000 hospitalizations and 25,000 deaths during the 2023-’24 season. Just 54% of children and adolescents were vaccinated, down from 62% in the 2019-’20 season.
The AAP and CDC recommend everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated.
“Flu vaccination can be lifesaving for children and has been shown in several studies to reduce the severity of illness in people,” the CDC said.
Influenza vaccines in the U.S. will be trivalent for the 2024-’25 season. The influenza B Yamagata component has been removed since it hasn’t circulated since 2020. The vaccines will have an updated influenza A (H3N2) component, while the influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 and influenza B Victoria lineage components are the same.
Kristina A. Bryant, M.D., FAAP, a member of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases (COID) and lead author of the flu policy statement and technical report, encourages pediatricians and others who care for children to offer a strong presumptive recommendation for flu vaccine. They can do so at the same time as they are recommending other immunizations and can administer them at the same visit.
AAP policy also suggests using consistent messaging and identifying high-risk patients for outreach with the help of electronic health record tools. To reduce disparities, pediatricians and others who care for children can provide information in patients’ preferred language and consider expanded hours and vaccine-only clinics. The medical home is the best place to get immunized, especially for young children. However, alternative sites like school-based clinics, hospitals and pharmacies also may help reduce barriers to vaccination.
Resources
- AAP policy Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2024-2025
- AAP technical report Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2024-2025
- AAP clinical report Strategies for Improving Vaccine Communication and Uptake
- Information on flu from the CDC
- Information from the AAP on setting up a flu vaccine clinic
- AAP flu vaccine promotion toolkit
- Information for parents on flu from HealthyChildren.org
- Information on flu from the AAP Red Book
