Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Child deaths from flu rise again this week Superflu cases continue to surge Across more than a dozen states.
Nationwide statistics have risen to Ninehealth officials in Ohio and Kentucky reported on the situation in their respective states First child flu death.
The Ohio Health Department said an unidentified teen in Greene County has died due to the infection. It is unclear whether the teen had Got a flu shotbut the department stressed the importance of Get a flu shot.
“It’s not too late to get the flu shot. It can Prevent you or your loved ones from getting seriously ill,“Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said in a report statement.
Kentucky officials say a child who died from the flu in Kenton County had not yet received this year’s vaccine. The Kentucky child also has not yet been identified.
“This is a heartbreaking reminder that the flu is not always a mild illness, especially for young children and people with high-risk medical conditions,” said Dr. Steven Stack, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Family Services at the Kentucky Department of Public Health, said in a press release.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone over six months of age get an annual flu shot to prevent serious illness.
These announcements follow Deadliest non-pandemic flu season on record for U.S. children and Last year was the worst flu season in nearly 15 years.This year, the agency estimate Nationwide, 7.5 million people have been infected, more than 81,000 have been hospitalized, and 3,100 people have died from the flu.
Hospitalizations rise rapidly, nearly doubling 9,944 From the week of December 13 to the week of December 20, the number increased to 19,053.
one map Current flu hot spots are Colorado, Louisiana, South Carolina and New York, according to the CDC.
New York is facing one of its worst flu seasons ever, with weekly case counts hitting a new high before Christmas, up 38%, according to officials women’s nbc. “We are seeing a record number of influenza cases in New York State in a single week,” said New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald.
In the West, hospitalizations are at a record high in Colorado, with nearly 800 people currently hospitalized for the flu, according to reports. CPR Newsan increase of 250 from last week.
Hope Shuler, spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, told the outlet in an email, “782 new flu-related hospitalizations were reported for the week ending December 27, setting a record for the raw number of flu hospitalizations reported in a week since flu hospitalizations began being tracked in 2004.”
“We saw a similar hospitalization rate (40 hospitalizations per 100,000 people) during the 2024-2025 season, but we didn’t reach that number until about four weeks later, in late January,” she said.
Most hospitalizations in Colorado, New York and elsewhere are caused by H3N2, a subtype of the influenza A virus. The H3N2 strain is Linked to more hospitalizations and deaths among older adults.
The situation also emerged widely after this season’s flu vaccine was finalized, leading to concerns that this year’s vaccine may be less effective.
“It doesn’t match up well with this year’s vaccine, which means a greater proportion of the population may be susceptible to influenza.” Neil Maniar, director of Northeastern University’s master of public health program, said in December. Still, vaccination is important to prevent serious illness, he noted.
More than 130 million U.S. adults (about 42%) have received a flu vaccine this year, and the 2025-2026 flu season is far from over.
The season typically runs through spring, with cases peaking in January and February last year. By the end of the season, there are Tens of Thousands of Flu Deathsinclude 280 children. It’s too early to tell how Team USA will perform this season.
“Severity indicators remain low at this time, but influenza activity is expected to continue for several weeks,” the CDC said.