Editor's note:For the latest flu coverage, visit https://www.aappublications.org/collection/influenza.
Twenty-four children have died of flu this season, a number that continues to rise, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Flu is widespread in 45 states and the CDC estimates 10.1 to 11.7 million people have gotten sick this season.
Outpatient visits for flu increased to 3.8% last week, up from 3.3%. Children 4 years and younger have been among the hardest hit with 27.3 hospitalizations per 100,000 children. Among hospitalized children with available data, 38% had an underlying medical condition, most commonly asthma, according to the CDC’s weekly flu report.
Among the general population, the CDC estimates there have been 118,000 to 141,000 hospitalizations that are occurring at a rate of 15.3 per 100,000 people.
Influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 continues to be the dominant strain for most of the country except in the Southeast which is experiencing influenza A (H3). The two new pediatric deaths reported last week were linked to influenza A viruses, but the subtypes were not available.
The CDC and the Academy recommend everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated against the flu. Inactivated influenza vaccine is the primary vaccine choice, while quadrivalent live attenuated influenza vaccine may be used for children who would not otherwise receive a vaccine, according to AAP policy.