Fewer kids are getting flu shots in Pennsylvania so far this year
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Significantly fewer kids are getting flu shots in Pennsylvania so far this season, per new CDC data.
The big picture: Childhood flu vaccination is down in every state but Iowa.
- Roughly 37% of kids nationwide have their flu shots for the 2024-25 season so far — down about 7 percentage points from the same time last year.
- About 54% of kids got their shot by the end of the last flu season, down from 62% in 2019-20.
Why it matters: Flu shots can help prevent kids from getting sick, but the inoculations appear to be getting swept up in a broader wave of vaccine skepticism that took hold during the pandemic.
Startling stat: The CDC reported 200 pediatric flu-related deaths in the 2023-24 season — a record high for a non-pandemic flu year.
Zoom in: Childhood flu vaccine coverage in Pennsylvania has dropped by more than 10 percentage points compared with the same time last year, to 35.4%.
- Overall flu activity is low but increasing statewide.
Between the lines: There's also been a national rise in vaccine exemptions among kindergartners, suggesting increasing vaccine skepticism among parents.
- Public health experts worry that President-elect Trump's pick for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., could further erode confidence in many vaccines that have proved safe and effective, as Axios' Maya Goldman and Tina Reed report.
📍 Find a flu shot: The City of Philadelphia has an online map to locate a flu clinic near you. Remember to make an appointment.