Too many kids are dying from the flu in the US. That can be fixed.
Flu, RSV, Covid, norovirus. Name it, and you probably know someone suffering from it — and out there spreading it.
Yet, as viruses run rampant this winter, too many Americans are neglecting to get flu shots, one of the easiest ways boost protection against severe infection, especially for children.
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According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about 43% of eligible children had received the flu vaccine as of Jan. 4. That’s far short of the 70% target set by the Department of Health and Human Services, and a continuation of a downward trend from the more than 56% who had been vaccinated by this time of year before the Covid pandemic.
The flu can be deadly for kids, and it’s not too late to improve those numbers this season. Public health officials should also be thinking ahead about how to do better next year.
Last year, at least 207 US children died from the flu, exceeding the grim record set during the 2019-2020 flu season. Most of those children were old enough to be vaccinated. Yet, of the kids who were eligible and died, some 80% hadn’t been vaccinated.
It’s not just about the kids. Vaccination helps protect the people around them — like grandparents, who, because of their age, are at greater risk of being hospitalized or dying from the illness.
Artific
