TUESDAY, March 4, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Pediatric hospital admissions for influenza have been rising across the United States since the beginning of the year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Pediatric influenza-related hospital admissions rose sharply between Jan. 4 and Feb. 1, with a 145 percent increase seen for patients ages 5 to 17 years (from 959 to 2,348 admissions).

For the week ending Feb.1, the percentage of all outpatient visits made for flu-like symptoms was 7.76 percent. This is the highest level since the third week of the 2009/2010 season (7.72 percent). Pediatric patients accounted for 33.3 percent of all influenza cases seen in emergency departments, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, the AAP reported. As of Feb. 1, there have been 57 pediatric influenza-related deaths recorded for the 2024/2025 season.

“Influenza comes around every winter. While there isn’t really such a thing as a ‘good’ influenza season — every year we see thousands of deaths and hospitalizations — seasons vary in severity from year to year, and this is a particularly severe season,” Sean T. O’Leary, M.D., M.P.H., chair of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases, said in a statement. “The best thing a parent can do to protect their family from influenza is to make sure everyone gets vaccinated. It’s not too late for this season because we’re still seeing widespread circulation.”

As of Feb. 28, 45.8 percent of children reported receiving an influenza vaccine, according to the CDC.

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