Flu Vaccination Cuts Risk of Death by 80% in Children and Teens, suggests study
Influenza vaccination reduced the risk of flu-related death by an average of 80% among U.S. children and adolescents in recent years, according to a new study. Vaccine effectiveness was 77% in children with underlying medical conditions and 87% in those without. The findings underscore the strong protective benefit of influenza vaccination, particularly as flu vaccine uptake has declined since 2021, reinforcing the need to improve vaccination coverage to prevent severe illness and deaths in children. The study was published in the journal of American Academy of Pediatrics by Jerome S. and colleagues.
In order to scientifically estimate the exact protective value of yearly flu vaccinations against virulent strains of the disease, scientists conducted a thorough case-cohort study covering almost a decade. The study thoroughly analyzed the data from the patient surveillance database between August 2016 and July 2025, investigating the vaccination status of current season influenza in the cases of reported pediatric deaths and comparing them with the national surveys on vaccination rates. Data about the presence of particular underlying diseases and the seasonal vaccinations were gathered directly from the surveillance case reports.
For estimating the exact protection value, the team of statisticians used a multivariate logistic regression model for the estimation of odds ratios (OR) of the vaccination relative to matched comparison groups of healthy individuals. The effectiveness of the vaccine (VE) was calculated mathematically by applying the scientific calculation formula (1 – OR) × 100.
Key findings:
- A total of 1,234 laboratory-confirmed, influenza-related deaths in children aged 6 months to 17 years occurred over the multiple-year study period from August 2016 through July 2025.
- Of all 1,086 reported pediatric deaths whose vaccination history was completely determined, only 124 patients (23%) out of 530 individuals with known underlying diseases had received complete vaccinations.
- Among 556 pediatric deaths occurring in children free from any chronic illness, there were only 70 individuals (13%) with complete vaccination for the current seasonal strain.
- Influenza vaccination coverage rate remained virtually stagnant at a meager 49% on average.
- Calculated vaccine effectiveness against pediatric death was found to be an impressive 80% (95% CI, 75–84) overall.
- Vaccine effectiveness against death was confirmed to be 77% (95% CI, 71–82) in the group of vulnerable pediatric population with documented underlying diseases.
- The highest level of protection was demonstrated by those children not having any medical problems with vaccine effectiveness against death estimated at 87% (95% CI, 84–89).
To conclude, the influenza vaccine helped reduce the risk of death due to influenza for children with or without medical problems. This is evident from the results that have been statistically proven in the real world and thus form an essential basis for clinical preventive medicine in modern times.
Reference:
Leonard, J. S., Reinhart, K., Lu, P.-J., Santibanez, T. A., Srivastav, A., Hung, M.-C., Jain, A., Budd, A., Huang, S., Kniss, K., Price, A. M., Burns, E., Ellington, S., & Flannery, B. (2026). Influenza vaccine effectiveness against pediatric death in the United States: 2016-2025. Pediatrics, e2026076453. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2026-076453
