Tragic Consequences: Over 100 Children Die from Flu, CDC Reports

“I’ve cared for children who eventually passed away from the flu. Additionally, the parents of these children nearly always tell me, “I had no idea that flu could do this to my child,” according to Dr. Kristina Bryant.

TFD – Delve into the harrowing statistics of pediatric flu deaths, the importance of vaccination, and the heartbreaking account of Gianna’s tragic passing.

According to a report released on Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 100 children have perished from the flu this season.

With 103 pediatric deaths so far, this is not a seasonal high. Although children with preexisting medical conditions are more vulnerable to serious consequences from the flu, the most recent data from the CDC serves as a sobering reminder that flu may be extremely harmful to children of all ages.

“While not entirely unexpected, this is undoubtedly sobering information,” Alicia Budd, chief of the CDC’s domestic influenza surveillance team, stated.

According to Budd, 53% of the youngsters who passed away had no health problems prior to contracting the influenza virus.

According to Budd, the majority of the 10 new pediatric deaths included in the most recent report occurred in the previous few weeks.

Flu season is still ongoing, despite the fact that instances appear to be rising nationwide. According to CDC estimates, at least 28 million flu cases have been reported nationwide, leading to 310,000 hospital admissions thus far this year. Not to mention the 103 pediatric fatalities, the flu has claimed the lives of roughly 20,000 more.

Family members often believe that the flu is simply another cold virus and that it is not a serious illness, according to pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Kristina Bryant of Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Kentucky.

Bryant stated, “I have cared for children who have the flu and are very sick in the intensive care unit.” “I’ve cared for children who eventually passed away from the flu. Additionally, the parents of these children virtually always tell me, “I had no idea that flu could do this to my child.”

tiny airways, large immunological response

Most kids who contract the flu each year make a full recovery. How the virus may suddenly and unexpectedly kill otherwise healthy and robust infants is one of its greatest mysteries.

Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. pediatric infectious diseases specialist Dr. Alexandra Yonts explained that because children’s airways are smaller than adults’, breathing becomes difficult after a virus infects and irritates those airways.

According to Yont, children’s immune systems are poised to combat each new germ that comes their way. Occasionally, those immunological reactions become excessive.

The severity of the symptoms is mostly determined by the body’s immune reaction, as is the case with many viral infections.

“It seems that influenza has a unique immune-stimulating effect on our bodies, leading to severe fevers and cytokine storms that send children to the intensive care unit with symptoms resembling sepsis,” Yont stated.

Children’s flu shots are now available this year.

Nearly 90% of the kids who passed away from the flu this year, according to CDC’s Budd, were not properly immunized. For most children, this translates to one annual shot. But kids younger than age 8 need two doses if they’ve never received the flu shot before.

This season, slightly fewer children than last year—53.3%—had the flu shot, at just over 50%. Based on preliminary statistics from the CDC, vaccination can prevent up to 61% of sick children from being admitted to the hospital.

According to Budd, “the vaccine can reduce a child’s need for a medical visit by about two-thirds.” “And it can cut their hospitalization risk in half or so.”

Which flu virus strains will be more virulent in any particular year is a prediction that experts cannot make. The CDC revealed that 47 juvenile deaths during the 2023–24 season were linked to influenza B strains, whereas almost half were caused by influenza A strains. A youngster had stresses on both A and B.

A particularly bad flu season in 2014–15 claimed the lives of 141 youngsters. Among them was Gianna Wehrkamp, a vibrant two-year-old who was in wonderful health.

On January 8, 2015, Gianna returned from daycare with a low-grade fever (less than 100 degrees). Angie Wehrkamp, Gianna’s mother, stated that her daughter was acting normally and enjoying games. She claimed, “She was just as bossy as always.”

The typically bright and vivacious little child was not herself the following morning.

The 46-year-old Sioux Falls, South Dakota resident Wehrkamp stated, “She just looked like she didn’t feel good.” “It was evident on her face.”

After visiting the doctor, Gianna was diagnosed with influenza A. Wehrkamp was reassured by the doctor that Gianna would recover quickly.

Gianna relaxed at home all day with her favorite teddy bear, “Dog,” and watched her favorite cartoons, “Frozen” and “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.” At supper, Gianna brightened up a little and began nibbling on black olives with her fingers. She never experienced a fever higher than 101.

Gianna’s lungs sounded “a little rattly” to Wehrkamp at bedtime, so she brought the young child into her bed to watch over her during the night.

“I woke up around two in the morning and she was not breathing,” Wehrkamp recalled. Gianna’s heart took almost one hour for the paramedics to restart.

It was too late by then.

After exhibiting symptoms for less than 48 hours, Gianna passed away from influenza.

Wehrkamp remarked, “It all just happened so fast.” “We had no idea that the flu could kill otherwise healthy kids.”

The year the young child passed away, she had not had her flu shot.

Gianna’s mother stated, “We had every intention of getting her vaccinated.” However, as working parents, it kind of slipped our minds, and we ultimately paid the price for it. My biggest regret will always be not prioritizing that.