The CDC is reporting a record number of child deaths from flu complications as the number of people getting vaccinated continues to decrease.
Last week, the public health agency announced 200 children had died from flu complications during the 2023-24 flu season, surpassing the previous high of 199 during the 2019-20 flu season. About 80% of them were unvaccinated.
At the same time, the rate of adults and children being vaccinated against the virus is trending down year after year.
During the 2019-20 flu season, the CDC reported that 63.7% of children between 6 months and 17 years old were fully vaccinated. In the 2023-24 flu season, just 55.4% were vaccinated.
In that same time frame, the agency also reported a decrease in vaccination among adults, from 48.4% to 44.9%.
This week, Baptist Health hosted a series of free flu shot clinics across the state, making the vaccine easy for people to access ahead of flu season in the Commonwealth.
“It also helps protect your loved ones, especially if you do care for elderly parents or you have young children living in your household. It’s just something to think about,” said Laura Columbia, a nurse practitioner at Baptist Health.