Overview
- Ohio health authorities reported a teenager from Greene County as the state’s first flu-related pediatric death of the 2025–26 season.
- Kentucky confirmed its first pediatric flu death a day earlier, identifying the child as a Kenton County resident who had not received this season’s flu vaccine.
- Kentucky’s dashboard shows rising influenza activity, with emergency visits and hospitalizations for children under five higher than at this time last year.
- Public health agencies recommend annual flu vaccination for everyone six months and older, with flu and COVID-19 shots eligible at the same visit.
- CDC reporting and local data point to an early, nationally significant upswing in cases that observers link to influenza A H3N2 subclade K, with officials also advising early antiviral treatment when indicated.