Perhaps so. That would require a great deal of cooking. A multinational coverup involving hundreds of people.
Practice Guideline:
Pediatric influenza-related deaths range from 37 to 207 reported cases annually in recent seasons (excluding the 2020-2021 pandemic year), though the American Academy of Pediatrics notes these figures likely represent significant underreporting—statistical models suggest actual deaths may be 3-4 times higher than reported cases.[1]
The primary causes of death include direct viral complications and secondary bacterial infections. Neurologic complications occur in approximately 8-11% of hospitalized children, with influenza-associated encephalopathy or encephalitis (IAE) identified in 9% of pediatric deaths across multiple seasons.[1] Acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), a severe form of IAE characterized by rapid neurologic deterioration and bilateral thalamic lesions, represents a particularly devastating complication.[1] Bacterial complications include bloodstream infections (occurring in 0.9% of hospitalized children), with Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae as the most common pathogens.[1] Invasive group A streptococcal infections have also been associated with influenza virus infection.[1]
Deaths occur in both previously healthy children and those with underlying conditions—approximately 45-51% of pediatric deaths occur in children without recognized high-risk medical conditions.[2] Among children with underlying conditions, asthma is the most common (27.1%), followed by neurologic disorders (17.7%).[2]
Historically, up to 80% of pediatric deaths have occurred in unvaccinated children aged 6 months and older who were eligible for vaccination.[2] Vaccination demonstrates 65% effectiveness against influenza-associated death overall, and 51% effectiveness in children with underlying medical conditions.[2] The American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes that most deaths (70%) in vaccine-eligible children occurred in those who were unvaccinated.[2]
Severe outcomes, including in-hospital death, are highest in adolescents 13-17 years of age in multivariable models.[3][4] Racial and ethnic disparities are pronounced, with in-hospital death rates 3-4 fold higher in Black, Hispanic, and Asian or Pacific Islander children compared with white children.[4]
Population-based surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network over nine seasons (2010-2019) reveal that adjusted influenza-associated hospitalization incidence rates ranged from 10 to 375 per 100,000 persons each season, with the highest rates among infants under 6 months of age.[5] The in-hospital mortality rate was also highest in this youngest age group at 0.73 per 100,000 persons.[5] Among 13,235 hospitalized children during this period, 72 (0.5%) died during hospitalization, with older children (≥13 years) having 3.3 times higher odds of death compared to infants under 6 months.[5]
Analysis of 675 pediatric deaths reported from 2010-2016 found an average annual incidence of 0.15 per 100,000 children, with the highest rates in infants under 6 months (0.66 per 100,000) and children aged 6-23 months (0.33 per 100,000).[6] The median age at death was 6 years, and only 31% of vaccine-eligible children had received any influenza vaccination.[6] Rapid disease progression is characteristic—65% of children died within 7 days after symptom onset, and among previously healthy children, 77% died before hospital admission compared to 48% of those with underlying conditions.[6]
Australian surveillance over ten seasons (2008-2017) identified 613 children with severe influenza complications, of whom 30 died.[7] Children who died were more likely to be older (5-14 years), have underlying medical conditions, require ICU admission, and develop encephalitis, acute renal failure, or myocarditis.[7] Notably, influenza B was more frequently associated with specific complications including acute renal failure, rhabdomyolysis, myocarditis, pericarditis, and cardiomyopathy compared to influenza A.[7]
Recent surveillance through the 2024-25 season indicates that IAE was identified in 166 of 1,840 (9%) pediatric influenza-associated deaths, with proportions ranging from 0% to 14% across seasons.[8] Among children with fatal IAE, 54% had no underlying medical conditions and only 20% had received influenza vaccination.[8]
References
1. Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2025-2026: Technical Report. Committee on Infectious Diseases. Pediatrics. 2025;:202846. doi:10.1542/peds.2025-073622.
2. Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2019-2020. Pediatrics. 2019;144(4):e20192478. doi:10.1542/peds.2019-2478.
3. Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2023-2024. Pediatrics. 2023;152(4):e2023063773. doi:10.1542/peds.2023-063773.
4. Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2022-2023. Pediatrics. 2022;150(4):e2022059275. doi:10.1542/peds.2022-059275.
5. Epidemiology, Clinical Characteristics, and Outcomes of Influenza-Associated Hospitalizations in US Children Over 9 Seasons Following the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic. Kamidani S, Garg S, Rolfes MA, et al. Clinical Infectious Diseases : An Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. 2022;75(11):1930-1939. doi:10.1093/cid/ciac296.
6. Influenza-Associated Pediatric Deaths in the United States, 2010-2016. Shang M, Blanton L, Brammer L, Olsen SJ, Fry AM. Pediatrics. 2018;141(4):e20172918. doi:10.1542/peds.2017-2918.
7. Ten Years of National Seasonal Surveillance for Severe Complications of Influenza in Australian Children. Teutsch SM, Zurynski YA, Nunez C, et al. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. 2021;40(3):191-198. doi:10.1097/INF.0000000000002961.
8. Reports of Encephalopathy Among Children With Influenza-Associated Mortality - United States, 2010-11 Through 2024-25 Influenza Seasons. Fazal A, Reinhart K, Huang S, et al. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2025;74(6):91-95. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7406a3.