The 2024-25 influenza season was a challenging one for young children, New York state Department of Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said Wednesday, with 25 influenza-associated pediatric deaths in the state, the highest amount ever.

Nationwide, 216 pediatric deaths related to the flu were reported during the season, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, which was the highest in 15 years.

"Children need to be at least 6 months old to receive a flu vaccine, some of these young New Yorkers we lost were too young for the vaccine,” McDonald said in a statement Wednesday. “The best protection for these little ones is for all those around them to be up to date with the flu vaccine, which usually becomes available in September. Of the 25 deaths we saw among children this year, only one was vaccinated and five were too young to receive the vaccine.”

McDonald said misinformation around vaccines in recent years has contributed to rising vaccine hesitancy and declining vaccination rates.

"Vaccines are the best protection we have, and do save lives, including the lives of very young children who are too young to receive certain vaccines,” McDonald said. "We live in a challenging time, where honest objective information is sometimes blurred by misinformation - therefore, it remains the Department's goal to continue to provide as much education and information as possible about flu and other vaccines that remain our best protection against many viruses and preventable diseases."

Flu season runs from October to May, with peak infection rates typically seen in February.