Two children in King County have died from complications of the flu according to a Friday post on Public Health — Seattle and King County’s blog. The first was an elementary-age child who passed away on February 14. The second was a preschool-age child who passed away on February 21. These two cases were unconnected and are the first pediatric flu deaths of the 2024-25 flu season in King County. The county’s last pediatric flu death occurred during the 2022-2023 flu season.
County health officials says they’s seen rapidly increasing flu activity in the region — and that flu rates have been higher than recent flu seasons. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classified the current flu season as “high severity” for all age groups, a designation it has not made since the 2017-18 flu season, and local health officials warn that high rates of flu are likely to continue over the next few weeks.
High risk for flu
Anyone is at risk for flu, but some groups are at greater risk for severe complications, including very young children, older adults, people with underlying health conditions, and pregnant people.
“This is a tragic loss, and we send our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of both children,” said Dr. Eric Chow, Chief of Communicable Disease and Interim Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “This is a particularly high severity flu season, locally and nationally. If you’re not already vaccinated, it’s not too late to get your flu shot. Immunization provides important protection against severe complications which could mean the difference between being hospitalized or having mild illness at home.”
As of Friday, county health officials said 63 flu-related deaths in King County residents had been reported. That number may be an “undercount” county health officials added. Many flu-related deaths, locally and nationally, are not captured by standard reporting. The CDC’s preliminary estimate is that in this flu season to-date, 21,000 to 100,000 people in the U.S. have died from flu-related illness.
How to prevent illness and protect those most vulnerable:
- Get your seasonal flu shot: Getting the flu shot each year is the best way to prevent severe flu illness. It’s not too late to get your flu shot this season! Everyone ages six months and older should get the updated flu shot each year, even if you’ve had the flu shot in prior flu seasons or an infection during this or prior seasons. The flu shot can help protect you from the other types of flu that circulate in the community. It’s safe to get other respiratory illness vaccines, such as the COVID-19 vaccine, at the same time. Find information about where to get vaccinated, including for people who are under or uninsured, at kingcounty.gov/findaclinic.
- Wear a high-quality, well-fitting mask when in indoor public spaces.
- Wash hands regularly.
- Stay home and away from others if you’re sick, regardless of whether you’ve tested positive for flu, COVID-19 or any other respiratory viruses. This is particularly important if you’re going to be around young children, older adults, pregnant people, or people who have underlying medical conditions.
- Improve indoor air quality — visit this webpage for guidance on ways to improve indoor air quality to help prevent the spread of respiratory illness.
Recommendations young children, pregnant people
Pregnant people should vaccinate: Pregnant people are at high risk for severe illness and complications of pregnancy from both flu and COVID-19. We highly recommend that pregnant people get their flu shot and updated COVID-19 vaccine now, if not already vaccinated. This is important to protect both the pregnant person and the baby because antibodies will transfer from parent to baby.
Limit contacts with babies and vaccinate family around them: Given the high level of respiratory illnesses circulating, consider limiting the number of people that babies are in contact with, and people who are ill should stay away from newborns and babies. Make sure that everyone in the family who can be vaccinated against flu and COVID-19 are up-to-date on these vaccines. This helps to create protection for babies and others who are not able to be vaccinated.
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