Pediatric Flu Deaths Surge, Experts Urge Vaccination

A new report says many U.S. children died this flu season. This is the highest number in the last fifteen years. The Centers for Disease Control shared this information on Friday.

The CDC reported 216 child deaths which is more than last year. The last time the numbers were this high was 2009-2010. This was during the big flu problem called H1N1.

The flu can be very bad for kids, with many needing hospital care. Fewer children are getting their flu shots each year. Flu shots can help stop people from getting very sick.

The flu has been very hard for people, not just kids. Officials say there were millions of illnesses and thousands of deaths. Many adults in the hospital had other health problems already.

Flu activity is going down in all states since February. There were different types of flu this year. Health experts say to get a flu shot every year if you are over six months old.