North Carolina has reached the highest total of flu-related deaths — at 503 — since state health officials began reporting those death totals in 2009.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ dashboard update Wednesday served as the impetus for a rallying campaign to support state public health efforts amid recent federal funding cuts from the Trump administration.
“The abrupt and immediate termination of several federal grants in recent weeks have resulted in the loss of more than 80 jobs and at least $100 million for the department with more than $230 million in funding at risk,” DHHS said in its news release.
“These dollars directly impact a number of areas, including immunization efforts, as well as infectious disease monitoring and response.”
As the flu season reached its traditional March 31 ending, the statewide death toll was up 39 from the previous dashboard update that also include COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
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The weekly DHHS dashboard updates are subject to revision, and may include cases and deaths that occurred weeks or months ago, but were only recently confirmed as related to the flu.
The DHHS infectious diseases dashboard listed six confirmed flu-related deaths for the week that ended April 2.
It was the lowest number of weekly confirmed flu-related deaths since four for the week that ended Dec. 21.
DHHS does not provide additional personal information about the deceased, citing its patient privacy protocols.
The breakdown as of Saturday is 358 deaths among those ages 65 and older, along with 96 for ages 50 to 64, 41 for ages 25 to 49, five for ages 5 to 17 and two for ages 18 to 24.
By comparison, during the 2023-24 respiratory virus season, 294 North Carolinians died from flu-related illnesses: 179 deaths for ages 65 and older; 73 for ages 50 to 64; 26 for ages 25 to 49; two for ages 18 to 24; nine for ages 5 to 17; and five for ages 4 and under.
Federal funding cuts impact
DHHS said the overall death total “serves as a reminder that seasonal influenza and other respiratory viruses can be serious and, in some cases, even fatal.”
“Prevention and response to these and other illnesses and outbreaks is one of the critical roles that public health serves.”
DHHS cited as examples of some of the critical public health work that is being halted or reduced because of these federal cuts:
- Completion of the State Laboratory of Public Health expansion that would better prepare North Carolina for outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics;
- Loss of the corrections response team that provided consultation to prisons and jails regarding communicable diseases;
- Loss of staff who answer the 24/7 Epidemiologist On-Call line, staff who work on communicable disease reporting and staff working on measles education for the public and providers;
- Support for the NC DETECT early warning system for emerging medical trends;
- Electronic reporting of lab results to allow for more rapid response and prevention of spread;
- Community Health Worker outreach in areas hit hardest by Hurricane Helene;
- NC Quitline cessation services are now limited;
- Mobile immunization and vaccine outreach through Federally Qualified Health Centers; and
- Partnerships with Tribal Communities that contribute to the health and safety of Tribal members.
North Carolinians’ trust in public health initiatives “is a clear signal that public health is more important than ever,” said Dr. Kelly Kimple, interim state health director and DHHS’ chief medical officer.
“Now is the time to match that trust with stable, long-term investment in our public health workforce and infrastructure so we can continue to protect our communities for years to come.”
