The flu shot is doing its job — but not enough kids are getting it. A CDC-led study spanning eight flu seasons found that influenza vaccination was 80% effective at preventing death in children, yet 82% of pediatric flu deaths occurred in unvaccinated kids. With pediatric flu fatalities hitting a record high in 2024–2025, researchers are urging a push to boost vaccine uptake.
The flu shot is doing its job — but not enough kids are getting it. A major CDC-led study published in Pediatrics analyzed over 1,200 laboratory-confirmed pediatric flu deaths across eight U.S. flu seasons (2016–2025) and found that influenza vaccination was 80% effective at preventing death in children aged 6 months to 17 years. Despite this, 82% of flu deaths occurred in unvaccinated children, and average vaccination coverage sat at just 49%.
The protection held up across the board: vaccine effectiveness was 77% in kids with underlying medical conditions and 87% in otherwise healthy children — a critical finding, since children without known conditions account for roughly half of all pediatric flu deaths. The 2024–2025 season recorded the highest number of pediatric flu fatalities since tracking began, coinciding with declining vaccination rates since 2021.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Pediatricians and public health experts are calling for a messaging shift: rather than framing the flu vaccine as a tool to prevent infection, parents should understand it as a life-saving intervention. With vaccination rates slipping and deaths rising, increasing uptake is now a matter of urgency.
