More than 200 children died from influenza last year
People tend to think that “the flu” isn’t that bad, but each year, influenza infections are associated with thousands to tens of thousands of deaths. Most often, these deaths occur in the elderly, but during the 2023-2024 influenza season, more than 200 children younger than 18 years of age died from influenza:
- About half of these children did not have underlying health conditions that would increase their risk for severe influenza.
- More than one-third of the childhood deaths occurred in those younger than 5 years of age.
- Children between 5 and 11 years of age accounted for the highest proportion of childhood deaths (more than 4 in 10 childhood deaths).
- Among those for whom vaccination status was known, most of the deaths (about 8 in 10) occurred in children who were not completely vaccinated.
Hear Dr. Offit discuss the pediatric deaths from influenza in the October 2024 “Vaccines and Infectious Diseases in the News” video. Like this new monthly video update from Dr. Offit? Bookmark this page on the VEC website or access it each month from the VEC website homepage.
To see the data on pediatric deaths associated with the 2023-2024 influenza season, check this page of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. The page also shows pediatric deaths from prior influenza seasons, which were much lower during the pandemic compared with seasons before or since.
To see overall child mortality data globally (not just from influenza), check this page on the Our World in Data website.
RSV prevention: New Q&A sheets to help with common questions
The VEC recently released two new Q&A sheets related to prevention of RSV:
- "Protecting Babies from RSV: What You Should Know" describes the options for protecting infants during their first RSV season, including when maternal vaccination may be offered prior to delivery or by administration of nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody product. The sheet also describes which infants may be recommended to get nirsevimab during their second RSV season due to conditions that increase their risk for severe disease.
- "RSV & Adults: What You Should Know" describes which adults are recommended to get the RSV vaccine, how the vaccine is made and how it works, and other common questions related to this vaccine.
Both sheets will be made available in Spanish in the coming weeks. Watch for the links to be added to this page of our website or check out some of our other Q&A sheets.
More than 200 children died from influenza last year
People tend to think that “the flu” isn’t that bad, but each year, influenza infections are associated with thousands to tens of thousands of deaths. Most often, these deaths occur in the elderly, but during the 2023-2024 influenza season, more than 200 children younger than 18 years of age died from influenza:
- About half of these children did not have underlying health conditions that would increase their risk for severe influenza.
- More than one-third of the childhood deaths occurred in those younger than 5 years of age.
- Children between 5 and 11 years of age accounted for the highest proportion of childhood deaths (more than 4 in 10 childhood deaths).
- Among those for whom vaccination status was known, most of the deaths (about 8 in 10) occurred in children who were not completely vaccinated.
Hear Dr. Offit discuss the pediatric deaths from influenza in the October 2024 “Vaccines and Infectious Diseases in the News” video. Like this new monthly video update from Dr. Offit? Bookmark this page on the VEC website or access it each month from the VEC website homepage.
To see the data on pediatric deaths associated with the 2023-2024 influenza season, check this page of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. The page also shows pediatric deaths from prior influenza seasons, which were much lower during the pandemic compared with seasons before or since.
To see overall child mortality data globally (not just from influenza), check this page on the Our World in Data website.
RSV prevention: New Q&A sheets to help with common questions
The VEC recently released two new Q&A sheets related to prevention of RSV:
- "Protecting Babies from RSV: What You Should Know" describes the options for protecting infants during their first RSV season, including when maternal vaccination may be offered prior to delivery or by administration of nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody product. The sheet also describes which infants may be recommended to get nirsevimab during their second RSV season due to conditions that increase their risk for severe disease.
- "RSV & Adults: What You Should Know" describes which adults are recommended to get the RSV vaccine, how the vaccine is made and how it works, and other common questions related to this vaccine.
Both sheets will be made available in Spanish in the coming weeks. Watch for the links to be added to this page of our website or check out some of our other Q&A sheets.