A new study reveals that flu vaccination uptake among children and teenagers remains below pre-pandemic levels, threatening progress in protecting vulnerable populations as national coverage declines and disparities widen.
Influenza vaccination among children and teenagers had been edging upwards before the pandemic, but a new study suggests that progress has not bounced back. In research published in JAMA Network Open, investigators from the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and Montefiore Medical Group tracked more than 138,000 young patients in the Bronx and found that seasonal flu coverage rose from 49.1% in 2017-18 to 56.5% in 2019-20, then fell to 43.6% by 2022-23.
The pattern matters because flu vaccination is not just a public-health statistic; for families, it is part of the ordinary rhythm of keeping children well through winter. The decline was steepest in older children, especially those aged 10 to 14, while the smallest drop was seen in the under-fives. The study also found lower coverage among children with public insurance or no insurance, and larger falls in some racial and ethnic groups, including American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander children.
What makes the findings more worrying is that they fit a wider national picture. CDC data show that flu vaccination among children was only about 46% in the 2024-25 season, well below levels seen five years earlier. That season also brought the highest number of paediatric flu deaths since national reporting began in 2004, outside the 2009-10 H1N1 pandemic, with 280 deaths recorded. Separate federal data have also shown broader slips in routine childhood immunisation, particularly for children born in 2020 and 2021, alongside record-high non-medical vaccine exemptions among kindergartners.
For parents, the practical lesson is straightforward: vaccine gaps that began during the pandemic may still be lingering in everyday life, especially for school-age children and adolescents who do not visit the doctor as often as younger children. The study authors point to vaccine hesitancy and misinformation as likely factors, and they argue for clearer recommendations from primary care clinicians as well as easier access through places such as school-based health centres. In that effort, pharmacists and family doctors can both help by spotting missed doses, answering questions calmly and making flu vaccination feel like a routine part of the season rather than an extra burden.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
