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The past flu season was the deadliest for U.S. children in nearly a decade, health officials said Friday. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said they had received reports of 172 pediatric flu deaths since October. That surpasses the 2012-2013 flu season, when there were 171. An average season sees about 110. There were more deaths in 2009-2010, but that was when a rare flu pandemic occurred involving a new strain. More than 300 children died that season. (Stobbe, 6/8)

About half of this season’s deaths were in otherwise healthy children. They ranged in age from 8 weeks to 17 years. Of those for whom a flu shot is recommended, less than one-fourth of the children who died had been fully vaccinated. That was about the same proportion as in past winter flu seasons. The number of pediatric flu deaths “is a record number since we’ve been keeping track, outside of the pandemic,” said Daniel Jernigan, who heads the CDC’s influenza division. And the number is considered an undercount because it includes only lab-confirmed cases that are listed on death certificates and then reported to the CDC. It could go even higher because of reporting delays. (Sun, 6/8)