When fall arrives in the Northern Hemisphere, so does the flu season, too.
While the flu season is expected in the fall, its impact can be very unexpected. For example, in fall 2020, the numbers of people visiting a healthcare provider due to the flu were unusually low (a trend that continued into 2021, likely due to measures taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19, such as wearing face masks and physical distancing). In contrast, fall 2022 kicked off an unusual flu season that saw an early rise in flu cases, as well as high numbers of hospitalizations due to the flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). While no one quite knows to what extent these respiratory viruses will affect the general public, it’s expected that all three will be in circulation this fall.
While no one quite knows to what extent these three respiratory viruses will affect the general public, it’s expected that all three will circulate in the fall and winter. And like everyone else, children are at risk of getting sick from these illnesses—including the flu. While anyone can get the flu and develop serious complications from it, children younger than 5 years old are one of the age groups considered at high risk of influenza. The numbers of children who died last flu season because of flu-related illness were the highest since the 2019-2020 flu season.
With the unpredictability of the flu season in recent years, it’s even more important that all children who are eligible for a flu vaccine get a flu shot to protect them from the flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises everyone aged 6 months and above to get a flu vaccine every year, unless there are special circumstances.
The impact of flu in children
Children and adolescents tend to make up the largest numbers of flu cases each year. As many as 20% to 30% of flu cases occur in children during flu season.
In most cases, children should be able to recover from the flu within a week. Flu symptoms in children can be worse than in adults because children’s airways are smaller. This difference in children’s anatomy can make it harder for them to clear their airways during a viral respiratory infection.
Kids who are younger than 5 years old are at higher risk of developing serious complications from the flu, with kids who are younger than 2 years old being most susceptible. Estimates suggest that flu symptoms in children result in the hospitalization of about 20,000 kids each year.
Even though people don't always consider the flu a serious illness, it can also cause death in children. CDC data shows that in the 2023–2024 flu season, 199 children died to flu-related illnesses; in the 2022-2023 flu season, 187 children died due to the flu. These are the highest numbers of flu-related pediatric mortality since the 2019–2020 season, when 199 children and adolescents died from illnesses attributed to influenza. In prior flu seasons going back to 2004, about 80% of children who died from the flu were not fully vaccinated.
