Influenza vaccine effectiveness against death among U.S. kids and teens averaged 80% in recent years.Vaccine effectiveness against death was 77% among kids with underlying medical conditions and 87% among those without.The findings come against a backdrop of declining influenza vaccine uptake since 2021.
Influenza vaccination reduced the risk of death from flu among U.S. kids and teens in recent years, researchers found.
Overall vaccine effectiveness against influenza fatalities was 80% (95% CI 75-84) from August 2016 through July 2025, reported Brendan Flannery, PhD, of the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues.
Among kids with underlying medical conditions, vaccine effectiveness against death from flu was 77% (95% CI 71-82); among kids without known conditions, vaccine effectiveness was 87% (95% CI 84-89), they reported.
"While rare, influenza-associated pediatric deaths occur annually with varying incidence depending upon the influenza season," Flannery and colleagues wrote in Pediatrics.
