NYS child flu deaths hit highest mark on record, state says

There were 25 child deaths associated with flu in New York State this season, the most since at least 2004 when the state started keeping data, according to officials.

State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald announced the grim milestone Wednesday, saying medical misinformation is fueling vaccine hesitancy and declining vaccination rates.

Nationally, there were 216 influenza-associated pediatric deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is the highest national number in 15 years. The state started tracking pediatric flu deaths after the CDC added it to a list of diseases that are reported to the agency.

Only one of the 25 pediatric flu deaths in New York was in a child who was vaccinated against the flu. Five were under 6 months, too young to receive the vaccine. That means 19 eligible children who died had not received the flu vaccine. State health officials said Wednesday it does not release county-level information on pediatric flu-related deaths — which includes all patients under the age of 18 — to protect the privacy of the families involved.

Statewide, about 27% of the population received a flu vaccine, according to health department data. In Nassau County, 26.5% of the population received a flu shot and 22% in Suffolk.

The CDC recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older.

"Vaccines are the best protection we have, and do save lives, including the lives of very young children who are too young to receive certain vaccines," McDonald said in a statement.

"We live in a challenging time, where honest objective information is sometimes blurred by misinformation," he said. "It remains the Department's goal to continue to provide as much education and information as possible about flu and other vaccines that remain our best protection against many viruses and preventable diseases."

The CDC said flu vaccination rates among children and adults has declined steadily since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationally, about half of all children and adults received a flu shot during the 2023-24 season. The last time that figure was lower for children was 12 years ago and six years ago for adults.

The flu hit Long Island — and the rest of the nation — hard this season with the most lab-confirmed cases the state has seen in at least six years, Newsday has reported.

In New York State, there have been more than 536,000 lab-confirmed cases so far this year, compared with 403,000 and 336,000 over the last two years.

Nassau and Suffolk, which have so far reported 55,921 and 56,528 cases, respectively, are at the highest level in at least four years. Lab-reported cases only represent a portion of actual flu cases since not everyone seeks a test.

Experts attributed the severe year to a number of reasons, including especially active influenza virus variants, fewer people getting shots and the vaccine not working as well with some strains.

By Lisa L. Colangelo

lisa.colangelo@newsday.com@lisalcolangelo

Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.