Child dies from flu in Sacramento County, first death of 2025-26 season
A child in Sacramento County has died from complications related to influenza, marking the county’s first flu-related death of the 2025-26 season, public health officials disclosed Tuesday.
The child had no underlying health conditions, according to county officials, and had died from the H3N1 strain Influenza A, the most common strain of the virus. Health officials did not release the child’s age and said they were working to investigate if the child had received a flu shot.
The particular strain, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a variant considered uncommon among humans, especially when compared to wider-circulating flu variants since as H3N2 or H1N1. The variant can be found in mammals and birds, but is more commonly associated with domestic pigs, according to the American Society for Microbiology.
It comes on the heels of two child flu deaths nationwide reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the week before Thanksgiving that were announced on Friday. Last flu season, which official ran from Oct. 1, 2024, to the end of September, 288 children died from flu complications. It was the highest death toll among children since flu deaths became nationally notifiable 20 years ago and researchers said that nearly 9 out of 10 deaths last season were among children who were not fully vaccinated.
The flu season was also rough for adults, and the worst since the 2017-18 season, according to CDC researchers. They estimated that 38,000 people died from the flu last season among 43 million Americans becoming sick and more than half a million hospitalizations. Since the start of the flu season on Oct. 1, the CDC estimates there have been at least 1,900 flu-related deaths.
California is currently classified as moderate risk for flu activity, based on CDC surveillance through mid-December.
County health officials urged residents to get a flu shot and take other precautions to prevent infection and spread including hand-washing and staying home when sick. A flu shot can be given to anyone over 6 months old and shots are readily available through pharmacies and health care providers.
Most people recover from the flu within a couple of weeks, but some — especially young children, seniors and people with underlying health conditions — can develop serious complications such as pneumonia, according to the county.
For local flu and COVID-19 vaccine locations, visit the Sacramento County Public Health website.
This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 10:22 AM.
