1st Child Flu Death Reported In NJ As Cases Skyrocket

As influenza runs rampant throughout the state, the first pediatric flu death has been reported in New Jersey this flu season, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.

State health officials said the child, from North Jersey, was under five years old and had no other known illnesses.

“This flu season is already shaping up to be a very serious one, with more cases than previous years and, tragically, one child’s death this week,” said Acting Health Commissioner Jeff Brown. “We extend our deepest condolences to the child’s family.”

While the DOH has not released the identity of the child, a GoFundMe has been launched for the family of Isaias Castillo IV, a two-year-old boy. The campaign is said to help with funeral costs after death due to complications from the flu.

"There are no words that can ease the pain of losing a child, and during this time of deep grief, the family is navigating overwhelming emotional and practical challenges," the fundraiser reads.

The fundraiser was launched on Friday morning and can be found here.

Between the week ending of Dec. 6, 2025, and the week ending Jan. 3, 2026, a total of 8,164 cases of the flu were reported in children between 0 and 4 years old, state data shows.

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Dr. Ed Lifshitz, the Medical Director for the NJDOH, says that the actual number of flu cases is more than this, given that many flu cases go unreported.

During the 2024-2025 flu season, 287 children died across the country, including five between the ages of 0 and 4 in New Jersey, according to state health data. The last time pediatric flu deaths exceeded 287 was during the H1N1 pandemic during the 2009-2010 season, experts said.

Around half of the children who died nationwide had underlying health issues, and 89 percent of them were not fully vaccinated, the CDC reports.

One reason in particular that experts are concerned with pediatric flu cases is that children are far more susceptible to influenza-associated encephalopathy (IAE), a severe neurologic complication of the flu.

IAE can result in seizures, coma, brain damage, and sometimes death, according to the CDC. Last flu season, 74 percent of IAE patients were admitted to an intensive care unit, and 19 percent died.

It’s not clear if the North Jersey child had IAE or if they were vaccinated.

Experts continue to recommend children (and adults) six months and older get the flu vaccination, calling it the “best defense at reducing severe illness or hospitalization from COVID-19 and the flu.”

“By getting vaccinated, we can each do our part in reducing the spread of flu and other respiratory viruses in New Jersey and helping prevent serious complications,” Brown said.

See a list of those most susceptible to flu-related hospitalizations, according to the NJ DOH:

• Children younger than five years, but especially children younger than two years;
• People 65 years and older;
• Those who are pregnant or have given birth in the last two weeks, and
• People who have medical conditions such as asthma, heart disease, and diabetes.

Read More:

• NJ Flu Cases Spike To 'Very High' Levels Ahead Of Previous 2 Year Trend
• NJ Flu Cases Triple As Vaccination Rates Go Down, Worrying Experts