Over 100 Kids Die Due to Flu, CDC Reveals; More Than Half of Them Had No Prior Medical Conditions

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 100 children have died due to flu during this season.

(Photo: Pexels / Andrea Piacquadio)

Over 100 Children Die Due to Flu

This pediatric death count reached 103 in total so far. Such a number is not a seasonal record. Though kids who have underlying medical conditions have a higher risk for severe flu outcomes, these recent statistics from the CDC serve as a reminder that any child could be left devastated by the flu.

Alicia Budd, the head of the CDC's domestic influenza surveillance team, says the data are sobering but not unexpected.

Budd explains that over half (53%) of the children who passed away did not have any prior medical conditions. Moreover, among the ten new child deaths in the latest report, most of them passed away in the past few weeks.

Dr. Kristina Bryant, a pediatric infectious disease physician from Norton Healthcare, notes that families have a wide misconception that flu is just a different cold virus and that it's not a serious case. Dr. Bryant shares that he has cared for critically ill children in the intensive care unit due to the flu and that some kids ended up dying due to the flu. The doctor adds that in almost all cases, the parents tell the doctor that they did not know that flu could lead to such outcomes for their child.

For the majority of children who get infected with flu each year, they usually recover. One of the biggest mysteries of the virus is how it can swiftly kill children who are healthy without any warning.

According to Dr. Alexandra Yonts, a pediatric infectious disease physician from Children's National Hospital, the airways of children are smaller. Hence, their breathing could be compromised when a virus inflames and infects such airways. Dr. Yonts notes that children's immune systems are super primed to counter any novel germ they meet. There are instances where such immune responses are excessive.

Similar to several other viral infections, the immune response of the body determines symptom severity.

ALSO READ: Top 5 Germ Hotspots as Cold and Flu Season Looms: Protecting Against a Potential 'Tripledemic

Flu Vaccines For Kids

Budd says that over 90% of the kids who died from flu this year had not undergone complete vaccinations. For the majority of children, this implies just one shot annually. However, kids under eighteen should have two flu shots if they were never previously vaccinated.

For this season, just over 50% of children were vaccinated against the flu. According to initial data from the CDC, the vaccine has a 61% effectiveness in keeping flu-stricken kids from the hospital. Budd explains that the vaccine can reduce medical visit risks for children by roughly two-thirds. It can also minimize hospitalization risk by around half.

Flu Season Persists

Though cases seemingly peak throughout the country, flu season is not yet finished. According to the CDC's estimates, the nation faces at least 28 million cases of flu illnesses, leading to roughly 310,000 hospitalizations so far this year.

On top of the 103 deaths of children due to flu, there have been around 20,000 individuals who have also passed away due to flu.