24-25 is deadliest flu season in NC

Less masking, lower vaccinations contribute to climb in flu deaths.
Posted 4/4/2025, 10:07:24 PM Updated 4/5/2025, 12:58:09 AM

DESPITE THE HUMIDITY AND THE

HE'S ENJOYING IT ANYWAY.

WELL, THIS IS REALLY SOMETHING

NORTH CAROLINA IS NOW

EXPERIENCING OFFICIALLY ITS

DEADLIEST FLU SEASON ON RECORD.

>> NEW DATA RELEASED THIS WEEK

REPORTED ANOTHER 20 PEOPLE HAVE

DIED FROM THE FLU.

>> AND THAT BRINGS THE SEASON'S

DEATH TOLL TO 484 PEOPLE.

WRAL, HELP REPORTER GRACE.

HEY, BASHIR'S. WHAT'S MAKING

THIS FLU SEASON? SO BAD?

AND THE CONCERNS FOR FLU

SEASON. STILL TO COME.

>> 484 NORTH CAROLINIANS AND

COUNTING THE DEATH TOLL FOR

THE 2024. 25 FLU SEASON

CONTINUES TO RISE. DESPITE THE

STATE SEEING ITS PEAK IN

MID-FEBRUARY OF THE DEATHS

ALWAYS LAG SEVERAL WEEKS BEHIND

THE PEAKS OF THE INFECTION

BEFORE NOW, 2017 TO 2018 SAW

THE MOST DEATHS FROM FLU WITH

391 STATEWIDE BY COMPARISON,

OUR DEATH TOLL THIS SEASON IS

ALREADY 24% HIGHER. MANY PEOPLE

NOT MASKING THE WAY THEY DID IN

PREVIOUS YEARS. AT SECOND OF

ALL, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE

GETTING FLU VACCINES. AS WITH

OTHER VACCINES LIKE THE MEASLES

VACCINES THAT WE'VE HEARD ABOUT

HAVE DECREASED 5 PEDIATRIC

DEATHS HAVE BEEN REPORTED SO

FAR THIS SEASON. LAST FLU

SEASON, THE STATE RECORDED THE

MOST PEDIATRIC DEATHS EVER WITH

16 75% OF THOSE CHILDREN HAD

NOT GOTTEN THEIR FLU SHOT.

I THINK THE BIGGEST REASON THAT

PEOPLE DON'T GET THEIR ANNUAL

FLU SHOT IS THEY DON'T PERCEIVE

THEMSELVES AT RISK FOR SERIOUS

ILLNESS. YOU KNOW, PLENTY AND I

CAN GET SEVERELY ILL. THAT'S

NOT TRUE. PEOPLE CAN GET SICK

AND DIE FROM FLU IT ANY AGE.

DOCTOR DAVID WEBER WITH UNC

HEALTH SAYS INCREASING VACCINE

EDUCATION IS KEY TO PREVENTING

SERIOUS ILLNESS IN THE YEARS TO

COME AS HE WARNS. IT'S NOT IF

NORTH CAROLINA WILL SEE ANOTHER

DEADLY SEASON. THE BUT WHEN,

YOU KNOW, WE ALL HAVE PANDEMIC

FATIGUE. WE DON'T WANT TO THINK

ABOUT ANOTHER ONE, BUT MUCH

LIKE THE HURRICANES. WE'RE

GOING TO HAVE THEM AND WE NEED

TO BE PREPARED AS A SOCIETY

HAVE TO DEAL WITH THEM. GRACE

TEVA, WRAL, NEWS.

>> WE PUT A QUESTION UP ON OUR

WRAL FACEBOOK PAGE ASKING, DID

YOU GET YOUR FLU SHOT THIS

SEASON IT OVER TO OUR FACEBOOK

PAGE TO CAST YOUR VOTE AND JOIN

© WRAL