Number of children who died from flu this season hits 115 as six states on high alert

115 children have died from flu this winter with this past week seeing one of the largest spikes in fatalities since January.

Fourteen children died from March 7-14, according to U.S. public health officials. This is the most pediatric flu deaths in a week since 15 children died between January 3-10.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not provide details on which states reported the deaths, or the ages of the children. Separately, nearly a dozen child flu deaths were reported in Virginia and Massachusetts during the week of March 7-14.

Several states are still experiencing high levels of flu but national levels are trending downward, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported Friday.

Last year was the worst flu season for children since record-keeping began 20 years ago. The child death toll reached nearly 300 over the 2024-2025 flu season.

Adults are faring better this flu season with fewer illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths for adults, according to the CDC.

Six states are currently reporting high levels of flu cases – Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Missouri and Ohio – a drop off from dozens of states at the beginning of 2026.

Even as levels of the respiratory illness fall nationwide, experts are warning people not to let their guard down due to different strains.

The influenza A strain makes up the majority of infections, especially in the early months of the season. Influenza B generally peaks later in the season and can be more severe for children. Right now, influenza B up the majority of positive tests reported to the CDC.

“Influenza A usually starts early in the winter season up to this time of the year. Sometimes at the end of January, February … we start seeing influenza B and that could go on until about April,” Dr. Angel Teck, a family medicine specialist with Health Ministries Clinic in Kansas, recently told KWCH.

While the strains are similar, influenza B carries a greater risk of seizures, vomiting and diarrhea in children, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Infection from influenza B can also lead to complications such as pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, heart disease, respiratory failure and brain swelling, the Children’s Hospital of Orange County says.

Some infections may result in an intense pain in the limbs known as viral myositis, doctors have reported, making it hard for children to walk for a few days.