Flu season claims lives of nine children in US as cases surge across the country: CDC

The flu is surging in New York and across the US — and claimed the lives of five kids in the days before Christmas.

Positive tests climbed a whopping 12% for the week ending Dec. 21, according to data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — meaning more than 12,000 people across the country were hospitalized from the virus, compared with 9,000 the week prior.

“It’s been increasing at a pretty steady pace now for the past several weeks. So yeah, we are certainly in flu season now,” said Alicia Budd, an epidemiologist in CDC’s Influenza Division.

This season, the flu has already claimed the lives of roughly 1,500 people across the country, including nine children. Five youngsters’ deaths were recorded between Dec. 15 and Dec. 21.

Another 3.1 million people have reported contracting the flu, resulting in at least 37,000 hospitalizations, according to the CDC.

No particular strain appears to be dominating at this time, but Budd warned its too early in the season to know how good a match the flu vaccine will end up being in combating the virus.

Though cases are rising in all regions and across all age groups across the country, outbreaks particularly exploded in 13 states this week, including Tennessee, Oregon and Louisiana.

New York State saw a second straight week of widespread influenza activity — marking an 86% surge compared to the previous week, according to state Health Department data.

At least 16,043 tested positive for the virus in the week ending on Dec. 21, and 648 were hospitalized.

There were 15 outbreaks reported in hospitals and another five in nursing homes, bringing the total outbreaks within such medical facilities across the state this season to 68.

The recent rise in cases prompted the CDC to announce Dec. 20 as the start of the 2024-25 flu season and urged those over the age of 6 months to vaccinate against the virus.

“Flu vaccines vary in how well they work from season to season, but during seasons when vaccine viruses are similar to circulating viruses, vaccination has been shown to reduce the risk of flu illness by 40 percent and to reduce the risk of flu-related hospitalization by 60 percent,” the federal agency said last week.

CDC experts pointed to a lull in vaccinations for the 205 pediatric deaths connected to influenza last year — which was the highest number ever reported for the conventional flu season.

Among the children who died last season who were old enough for flu vaccinations — and for whom their vaccination status was known — 80% were not fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Vaccine rates for children are even lower this year. As of Dec. 7, only 41% of adults and children, respectively, had received their flu shot.

Those rates reflect the same numbers for adults last year, but mark a 3% drop in the amount of children who were vaccinated last year, according to CDC data.

The CDC operates a website to help locate places to get flu shots at vaccines.gov.