Kentucky hits grim milestone: 6 pediatric flu deaths in 2022 and no end to season in sight

Flu season isn't over, but it's been brutal in Kentucky. Already, according to Gov. Andy Beshear's office, the state has tied its record for the most pediatric flu deaths.

Six children have fallen victim in 2022 to flu-related deaths, Beshear said in a release Monday, matching the all-time high mark set in 2019-20. Three of the deaths happened last week alone, the release said, and according to the Kentucky Department for Public Health, all six children had something in common – they had not been vaccinated against influenza.

“This current flu season is on track to be the worst in Kentucky in at least 10 years,” Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the state's health department, said in the release.

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Below 40% of children in Kentucky have been vaccinated against the flu this year, Stack said. He urged families in the Bluegrass State to take flu vaccines, describing the measure as the best way to reduce risk of illness.

At least three children who have died were from the Louisville area, according to Dr. Kris Bryant, a pediatric infectious diseases physician at Norton Children’s Infectious Diseases Institute who spoke Tuesday.

Flu-related deaths among children happen every year, she said, but three in a single week seemed "unusual." But this flu season has been "particularly hard on children," she noted.

Oftentimes, Bryant said, children can become infected with the influenza virus as well as other infections, like secondary bacterial pneumonias, which can worsen their condition – they can first be affected by the viral infection but when they think they're getting better, get hit harder with the bacterial infection, which can end up sending them to the hospital.

This year, Bryant said, some children have been infected with the flu along with invasive Group A strep disease. That condition usually causes strep throat, she said, but this year it's been behind more severe diseases including pneumonia or bloodstream infections. She also urged anyone 6 months or older to get vaccinated – "kids need flu vaccines this year," she said.

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Cases have trended down in Jefferson County lately, she said, with cases dipping at Norton Healthcare facilities. But as of Monday night alone, that hospital system had eight children hospitalized with the flu, Bryant said. Children are currently out of school for winter break, but Bryant noted holiday gatherings and travel with Christmas and other end-of-the-year events coming up can put kids at risk of exposure.

Vaccinations are important, she said, but Bryant urged people to reduce their risk of infection by washing their hands, wearing masks in crowded indoor venues if others in attendance are coughing. If you're sick, she added, stay home and away from other people.

Today is a "good day" for hospital capacity locally, she said Tuesday, but there have been tougher days – and other areas around the state are dealing with their own issues. Last week, for instance, officials with Richmond's Baptist Health hospital reported their facility was over capacity due to rising rates of respiratory illnesses like the flu.

And there is no end in sight for the 2022-23 flu season, she said, with multiple respiratory viruses circulating, including COVID-19 and RSV.

"It is really impossible to know where we are in the flu season," she said. "... Not so many weeks ago, we were seeing record numbers of kids coming to our emergency department at Norton Children's with flu and other respiratory viruses. Over the last couple of weeks we've started to see those numbers come down, but there are still substantial numbers of kids who have flu."

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Reach Ana Alvarez Briñez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter @SoyAnaAlvarez.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky hospitals report 6 flu-related deaths among kids, tying record