NH Union Leader – December 17, 2024
By DALLAS GAGNON, masslive.com
Fewer children are getting flu vaccinations and more are dying flu-related deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to CDC data, every state but Iowa has seen fewer children get vaccinated this season and flu-related pediatric deaths are at a post-pandemic high. All New England states saw a decrease in childhood flu vaccinations — with Massachusetts hitting a 5.1% drop in the 2024-2025 season compared to the 2024-2023 season, Axios reported.
Vermont saw the second-highest decrease in pediatric vaccinations in the nation — dropping 16.8%, with New Hampshire trailing behind with a decrease of 14.6%.
“Before the COVID-19 pandemic, flu vaccination coverage had been slowly increasing; downturns in coverage occurred during and after the pandemic,” the CDC reports. But even a few years after the pandemic has simmered down, flu vaccination rates have not fully recovered. Earlier this year, the CDC reported pediatric flu deaths reached a high of 200 deaths in the United States for the 2023-2024 flu season. This is up from 2019-2020’s high of 199 pediatric flu-related deaths.
The CDC estimates flu vaccinations can reduce the risk of flu illnesses by about two-thirds, and cut the risk of flu-related deaths and hospitalizations in half for vaccinated children. Though the CDC says the most effective way to reduce the risk of flu-related illness and flu-related deaths is to get vaccinated, the downward trend in vaccinations is a country-wide phenomenon. In the 2023-2024 season, 58.7% of kids were vaccinated against the flu compared to the current season, when 53.6% of children have been vaccinated as of November. Rhode Island and Maine’s pediatric flu vaccination rates decreased by about 6%, while Connecticut saw a 0.5% decline from 2024’s season to 2025.