Deadly Virus Has Taken 132 Lives in Illinois Including 5 Children

The sad truth is the number is likely much higher now. Already we know that at least 132 lives have been lost in Illinois due to a deadly virus and that includes 5 children.

The Illinois Department of Public Health shared some alarming numbers about a virus that has run rampant over the past couple of months. So far in 2025 alone, the state has confirmed that there have been 132 deaths from a highly-contagious flu virus. They included this sad comment:

"Sadly, the IDPH Respiratory Illness Dashboard has recorded five pediatric deaths this season from flu"

Here's a scary fact. That was reported on February 3, 2025 which means those deaths happened in the first month of the year alone and is likely much higher now.

There is some positive flu news in Illinois now though

The newest report from the Illinois Department of Public Health says that flu activity in Illinois has gone from high in February to moderate now in March so it's trending down. The Seasonal Respiratory Illness in Illinois Dashboard shows that flu and respiratory virus cases spiked at the beginning of February and is now dropping so hopefully the worst is in the rear-view mirror.

Illinois is still not out of the woods as we still have a few weeks of an active flu season, but the warmer temperatures should mean relief is in sight and hopefully we'll see the mortality rate improve drastically.