Ten additional pediatric influenza-related deaths were reported in the U.S. for the week ending Feb. 1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bringing the total to 57 pediatric deaths for the 2024-’25 season.
Seasonal flu activity remains elevated and continues to increase across the country, according to the CDC.
Of the 10 pediatric deaths, eight were associated with influenza A viruses. Seven of the influenza A viruses had subtyping performed; four were A(H1N1) viruses and three were A(H3N2) viruses. Two deaths were associated with influenza B viruses with no lineage determined.
As of Jan. 25, 44.5% of U.S. children have been vaccinated for the flu, down from 49.1% at the same time last year.
The AAP and CDC recommend everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated against the flu and COVID-19. The vaccines can be given at the same time. In addition, eligible infants, high-risk toddlers, pregnant people and older people should get immunized against respiratory syncytial virus.
Overall, outpatient respiratory illness is increasing and remains above baseline nationally for the 10th consecutive week. All 10 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regions are above their region-specific baseline. The CDC estimates there have been at least 24 million illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths from flu so far this season.
No new bird flu cases found in humans were reported by the CDC in the week ending Feb. 1. No human-to-human transmission of H5N1 has been reported in the U.S., according to the CDC website. An ongoing outbreak of H5N1 continues in domestic dairy cows and poultry, and monitoring for additional human cases is ongoing.
Web pages providing federal health data and guidance contain a notice that they are “being modified to comply with President Trump’s Executive Orders.” Some web pages have been removed, and others have been modified.
The AAP joined five other national physician groups in calling for the restoration of health data and guidance on CDC and National Institutes of Health (NIH) websites.
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 on flu for parents from HealthyChildren.org
