Severe H3N2 Season Hits Children Hard as Officials Shift Vaccine Guidance
An aggressive H3N2-driven flu season is hospitalizing children at record rates, while federal vaccine recommendations shift and pediatric vaccination coverage remains historically low this winter.
Overview
Children and teenagers are experiencing unusually high flu hospitalizations nationwide, with some hospitals reporting near-record pediatric admissions and local surges in cities like Boston and Aurora, Colorado.
CDC estimates this season has produced at least 15 million illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations and roughly 7,400 deaths, with pediatric deaths reaching at least 17 so far this season.
Influenza A(H3N2), particularly the subclade K variant that differs from the current vaccine strain, is driving the majority of cases and contributing to increased severity and hospitalizations.
Federal guidance shifted to shared clinical decision-making after HHS removed the flu shot from its routine childhood schedule, prompting concern and disagreement among public health officials and pediatricians.
Although the vaccine is not a perfect match for subclade K, studies and CDC data indicate vaccination reduces the risk of infection and severe outcomes, and medical groups continue to advise vaccination.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame coverage with cautious alarm: editorial choices emphasize severity (record hospitalizations, child deaths) and vaccine mismatch while quoting health officials and advocacy groups. Language like "super flu" and "long, hard season," plus selective structuring—opening with decline but quickly highlighting worst-ever metrics—steers readers toward concern despite some technical caveats provided by sources.
Sources (8)
FAQ
H3N2-dominant seasons tend to be more severe, and this year’s newly emerged H3N2 subclade K is driving most infections, leading to more serious illness and higher hospitalization rates, especially in children, who also have relatively low vaccination coverage this season.
Subclade K is a newly emerged subgroup of the long-circulating H3N2 influenza A virus that has accumulated genetic changes (“antigenic drift”) compared with the H3N2 strain included in the 2025–2026 vaccine, meaning the match is imperfect but still close enough for the vaccine to provide protection against severe disease.[1]
Early data from the UK and other settings indicate that this season’s flu vaccine is about 70–75% effective at preventing flu-related hospital attendance or hospitalization in children and adolescents, providing strong protection against severe illness even with subclade K circulating.[1][2]
After HHS removed flu shots from the routine childhood schedule, federal guidance shifted to shared clinical decision-making, but major medical and public health groups continue to recommend annual influenza vaccination for children because studies consistently show it reduces hospitalizations, critical illness, and deaths, even in mismatched seasons.
Health authorities advise combining vaccination with measures such as frequent handwashing, keeping sick children home, masking in crowded indoor spaces during local surges, and seeking timely medical care for worsening symptoms to help reduce spread and prevent severe outcomes.
History
- 4 sources