The sad truth is the number is likely much higher now. Already we know that at least 132 lives have been lost in Illinois due to a deadly virus and that includes 5 children.
The Illinois Department of Public Health shared some alarming numbers about a virus that has run rampant over the past couple of months. So far in 2025 alone, the state has confirmed that there have been 132 deaths from a highly-contagious flu virus. They included this sad comment:
“Sadly, the IDPH Respiratory Illness Dashboard has recorded five pediatric deaths this season from flu“…