2 infants have died of seasonal flu in Chicago, health officials say

Two infants have died of the flu in the first two weeks of the year, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.

No children died of the seasonal flu during the 2023-24 season, which runs from September to May, according to the department. One of the deaths occurred the first week of the year, and another this week.

“Even one pediatric flu death is a tremendous loss,” Dr. Olusimbo Ige, the city's health commissioner, said in a statement. “We express sincere condolences to the families of these children. Respiratory virus season is in full swing, and vaccination remains the best way to protect against severe illness, including in children.”

Flu and COVID vaccination rates in the city remain low, with 23.6% of the city vaccinated for the flu, the department said. The city recommends all children over age 6 months get vaccinated.

Emergency room visits for the flu more than doubled from the last week of 2024 to the first week of 2025, accounting for more than 5% of all visits and surpassing last season's peak, according to a Jan. 3 city report. One in every eight hospitalizations for the flu in Chicago were children under the age of 4 last week.

Intenstive-care admissions also spiked across all age groups.

Wastewater testing positivity rates for the flu and RSV are elevated but slowly coming down from a mid-December spike, while COVID-19 rates are rising after a one week dip, according to city data.

Influenza is the cause of nearly 6,000 deaths nationwide each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.