U.S. CDC reports 216 child deaths this flu season

NEW YORK, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Twelve pediatric deaths associated with seasonal influenza virus infection were reported in the United States in the week ending April 26, bringing the season total to 216 pediatric deaths, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday.

This number of pediatric deaths exceeds the previous high reported for a regular (non-pandemic) season. The previous high of 207 was reported during the 2023-2024 season, according to the weekly influenza surveillance report released by the CDC.

According to the CDC, seasonal influenza activity continues to decline, but this season is classified as a high severity season overall and for all age groups (children, adults, older adults) and is the first high severity season since 2017-2018.

The CDC estimates that there have been at least 47 million illnesses, 610,000 hospitalizations, and 26,000 deaths from flu in the country so far this season.

The CDC continues to recommend that everyone ages 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine as long as influenza viruses are circulating.

There are likely several contributors to this season's severity, but a big one is that fewer children are getting flu shots, according to Dr. Sean O'Leary, of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Enditem