Health
The two children who died in Boston were both under the age of 2.
A second young Boston child has died from the flu, the city announced Tuesday, bringing the Massachusetts pediatric death toll to four.
On Monday, the state Department of Public Health had announced Boston’s first pediatric flu death in over 10 years. In Tuesday’s announcement, the city’s Public Health Commission said both children who died were under 2.
As of Dec. 27, there had been 29 adult flu-related deaths in the state, as Massachusetts experiences an increase in flu hospitalizations and cases. In the week of Dec. 21, 9% of all hospitalizations were flu related, compared to 2025’s peak of 10.50%, according to recent flu data.
“While the flu is usually mild, it can cause hospitalization and death. Children under the age of two are at higher risk. Parents should get their children ages six months and older vaccinated as soon as possible to decrease the risk of severe complications,” Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Boston’s commissioner of public health, said in a statement.
Just days after Christmas, Boston experienced a 126% increase in flu cases in the previous 13 days as hospitalizations tripled, while flu-related emergency department visits increased by 135%. Though the majority of severe cases are adults over 65, hospitalizations of children under 5 increased 150%, doubling from last flu season, according to Tuesday’s release.
“Parents should seek immediate medical attention if their child has flu symptoms and also has signs of more severe illness, like trouble breathing, decreased urination, persistently high fever or becomes extremely lethargic and difficult to arouse,” Ojikutu said.
The city’s Public Health Commission has four free flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinics set for January.
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