As we move through the 2025 flu season, public health officials are seeing a marked increase in flu cases, especially among our most vulnerable — children. As noted this year, nearly all notifications have been due to influenza A. There is a concerning increase in influenza B from a year ago. Yet national vaccination coverage hovers around only 28.9 percent. As a direct consequence, hospitals around the nation are flooded with patients and experiencing dire workforce shortages.
Between January and mid-April, influenza has killed 180 people. This figure is a staggering 73.1 percent increase from the prior year-to-date in 2024. Even more tragically, at least two of those lives cut short have been under 16. Further, at least one child has died of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). This has become especially acute with recent news reporting that 90 percent of people showing up with flu symptoms are unvaccinated.
Rising Hospital Admissions
In the last few weeks, hospitals have begun to see a precipitous rise in admissions. According to their records, in the last two weeks of June, hospitals had admitted 431 patients with influenza. That was up dramatically from the 281 admissions during the two weeks prior. This surge is further magnified by a concurrent 20.8 percent increase in RSV admissions over the same period.
The scale of this year’s outbreak has been unprecedented, said health expert Tim Nicholls of the University of Colorado, saying,
“This year, it’s been worse. There’s been a 16 percent increase in the number of people presenting, and 90 percent presenting with flu are unvaccinated.”
What the data shows is that children five to nine years old are being most affected. In actuality, the Northern Territory has the most cases per 100,000 people. Given such a low vaccination rate in this demographic, it’s a great cause for concern. Just 13.7 percent of kids between the ages of five and 14 have been vaccinated against the flu.
Challenges Facing Healthcare Systems
The pressure on healthcare facilities is further compounded by a scarcity of personnel. Hospitals all over are feeling the impact from healthcare workers getting the flu and/or exposure to COVID-19. In the UK, official surveillance reports have noted an increase in the percentage of intensive care staff off work. This jump happened just between June 30 and July 13.
Admiral Dr. Peter Allely warned against overwhelming the healthcare systems’ ability to care, saying,
“We have a health system that has limited-to-no surge capacity and that’s the real issue.”
Health officials stress that vaccination is critical not only for individual health but for reducing pressure on healthcare systems. Professor Patrick Reading highlighted the importance of getting vaccinated:
“We’re running at 100 percent plus capacity so a small bump in patient numbers has a disproportionate effect on emergency overcrowding.”
With the current state of our nation’s emergency, access to the flu vaccine is still highly restrictive. The flu vaccine is available free for children aged six months to five years old. It is available for free to seniors 65 and older, and others at high risk in most states. There are still millions of people without access to vaccines, including cost among other reasons, such as logistics and distrust. Without coverage by the national immunization program, vaccines can cost between $20-$25 each.
“Vaccination is going to reduce your likelihood of going to hospital with severe disease and take some pressure off our system.”
Vaccination Rates and Access
Professor Reading pointed out that even those who have already contracted the flu this year may not be protected against all circulating strains:
The combination of rising case numbers and low vaccination rates poses a critical challenge for public health officials aiming to manage this outbreak effectively. With more people coming in with flu-like symptoms, the case for universal vaccination grows more compelling by the day.
“Even if you’ve had the flu this year, you’re not automatically protected against all three circulating flu strains.”
The combination of rising case numbers and low vaccination rates poses a critical challenge for public health officials aiming to manage this outbreak effectively. As more individuals present with flu symptoms, the need for widespread vaccination becomes increasingly urgent.
