Flu Season's Heavy Toll on Kids: A Wake-Up Call

The recent flu season was particularly tough on children. The flu season of 2024-2025 was the most severe in seven years. This flu season was a tough one for kids. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that at least 216 children lost their lives to the flu. This is the highest number of pediatric deaths in 15 years. The previous high was in the 2009-2010 season, with 236 pediatric deaths. The 2023-2024 season saw 207 pediatric deaths. The flu season was particularly severe for children. The CDC's FluSurv-NET data showed that the hospitalization rate for this season was the highest since 2010-2011. So far, there have been at least 47 million illnesses, 610, 000 hospitalizations, and 26, 000 deaths from the flu. New York state saw a record number of pediatric flu deaths, with 25 children losing their lives. This is the highest number ever recorded in the state. Health officials are sounding the alarm about vaccine hesitancy. The health commissioner of New York state, Dr. James McDonald, warned that misinformation about vaccines has led to a rise in vaccine hesitancy. This has resulted in declining vaccination rates. Of the 25 pediatric deaths attributed to the flu in New York, only one involved a vaccinated child. Five of the children were too young to receive the flu vaccine. The flu season was a challenging one for hospitals. Many children experienced severe complications, such as pneumonia, dehydration, and organ failure. Hospital admissions for flu in children ages five to 17 increased by 145% from early January to early February. As of mid-February, at least 86 children had died of the flu. The CDC estimated that at least 430, 000 children and adults were hospitalized for the flu between October and mid-February. Vaccination rates have been declining in recent years. The CDC reported that about 55. 4% of US children between the ages of six months and 17 years old received at least one dose of the flu vaccine during the 2023-24 season. This is down from 57. 4% in the 2022-23 season and 63. 7% in the 2019-2020 season. Health experts are warning of a growing wave of vaccine hesitancy. This is fueled in part by misinformation spread on social media and by some federal officials. Social media has become a breeding ground for misinformation about vaccines. This has led to rising levels of vaccine hesitancy. Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health warned that anti-vaccine misinformation has proliferated on social media. This is particularly true since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. They suggested a strategy called "prebunking, " where social media users are taught about how "fake news" works before exposure. This could help combat the spread of misinformation and increase vaccination rates.