Flu threatens Virginia as vaccination rates dip
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Virginia has one of the highest percentages nationwide of kids getting their flu shot, but that vaccination rate has dropped since last year, per new CDC data.
Why it matters: Fewer children being vaccinated as we head into the thick of flu season — which for the past several years has collided with a rise in COVID cases — could mean a lot of tough sick days ahead for parents.
By the numbers: The 2024-25 flu shot rate for Virginians in the 6-months-to-17 age group, as of Nov. 30, is 45%.
- Last year, it was almost 50%.
- It's 36.6% nationally, which is down from 43.7% this time last season.
Reality check: That 45% is higher than the 27.3% that the Virginia Department of Health is reporting for the state's overall flu vaccination rate, which is lower than the flu shot uptake was in 2022 and 2023.
- 18-to-30-year-olds have the lowest flu vaccination rate at 14.3%.
- Those who are 65 and older have the highest at 55.5%.
Threat level: VDH's tracking of ER visits related to respiratory illnesses shows a steady increase in the past few weeks, with kids ages 0-4 being the most common age group seen for COVID, flu or RSV.
- Central Virginia is the only region where the respiratory illness level is classified by VDH as "high."
Meanwhile, the percentage of kindergartners in Virginia with vaccine exemptions quadrupled in the past 10 years, per CDC data.
- The trend has public health experts worried about the population being more vulnerable to outbreaks as more parents opt out of the shots for measles, chicken pox, and whooping cough — among others.
The bottom line: It's not too late to get vaccinated.