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How the 2024–2025 Flu Season Impacted U.S. Children and What Pediatricians Should Do Now

The 2024–2025 influenza season brought a sobering reminder of how dangerous the flu can be for children. Pediatric deaths hit a 15-year high, hospitalizations surged across the country. Thousands of preventable complications left families and physicians scrambling. Ideally, your practice has pre-booked vaccines for the 2025–2026 flu season. When pediatric practices prepare early, it allows affordable and timely access for patients.

At US Physicians’ Purchasing Group (USPPG), we partner with leading vaccine manufacturers GSK and Seqirus. With USPPG, pediatricians, family medicine practices, and pharmacies save significantly on essential vaccines like the flu shot. In this post, we’ll cover the devastating impact of the past flu season, the importance of vaccination, and how your practice can benefit from joining USPPG.

 

2024-2025: A Deadly Flu Season for Children

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that the 2024–2025 flu season was the deadliest for U.S. children in over a decade. According to reports, at least 216 children died due to influenza-related complications, surpassing the previous year’s total. Moreover, the 2024-2025 flu season had the highest pediatric death toll since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic year.

Hospitalizations also reached alarming levels, with more children admitted for flu-related illnesses than in any year since 2010–2011. Pediatric hospitals reported surges in cases, many of which involved severe complications such as pneumonia, dehydration, renal issues, and even encephalitis. Furthermore, the severity has left health officials worried about life-threatening brain complications in children.

 

Low Vaccination Rates Were a Key Factor

Despite the severity of the season, flu vaccination rates among children continued their downward trend. The CDC estimates that only around 46% of children received a flu vaccine for the 2024–2025 season, a concerning drop from the 63.7% coverage seen just five years ago.

This decline in coverage allowed influenza to spread more freely through schools, daycares, and communities, especially affecting unvaccinated children with underlying conditions or weakened immune systems. Notably, in New York, only one out of 25 children who died from the flu had been vaccinated.

 

Flu Vaccination Reduces Hospitalizations and Deaths

Data from the CDC and pediatric health networks show that flu vaccines significantly reduce the risk of severe illness in children. The 2024–2025 vaccine was found to be up to 78% effective at preventing pediatric hospitalizations.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) continues to recommend that all children aged 6 months and older receive an annual flu vaccine. Additionally, it strongly encourages providers to start offering vaccines as soon as they become available—typically by early fall—to maximize protection before flu season peaks.

When Should You Pre-Book Your 2025–2026 Flu Vaccines?

With the recent flu season highlighting the tragic consequences of low vaccine coverage and supply issues, pre-booking is a good practice. Typically, pre-booking season for flu vaccines starts in January and runs through March. By securing your flu vaccine supply early, your practice will:

• ✅ Ensure early and consistent access to vaccines before demand spikes
• ✅ Avoid backorders or delayed shipments during peak flu activity
• ✅ Prepare your staff and patient families ahead of time with scheduled vaccine clinics
• ✅ Help boost your community’s herd immunity and protect high-risk children

Keep in mind, production and distribution of flu vaccines is a year-round process. You can purchase your flu vaccines at a discounted rate through our physicians’ purchasing group at any time.

 

How USPPG Helps Pediatricians Save on Flu Vaccines

At USPPG, we help pediatricians and medical practices save on vaccine costs by providing access to exclusive contract pricing from top manufacturers like GSK and Seqirus. Our members benefit from:

• Deep discounts on quadrivalent flu vaccines from GSK and Seqirus
• Priority shipping and reliable ordering support
• Vaccine forecasting tools to help determine appropriate inventory
• Dedicated customer support from our vaccine program specialists

Whether you’re running a large pediatric group or a solo practice, our group purchasing power helps reduce your overhead and maximize your ability to vaccinate your community affordably and efficiently.