The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has put a halt to its successful education flu vaccination campaign ‘Wild to Mild’, according to a report by NPR. The campaign featured juxtaposed images of wild animals such as lions with some counterparts like a kitten, to show how vaccination can reduce the risk of flu.

The campaign launched in the fall of 2023, aimed to share key information with the public about how getting a flu vaccine can reduce the risk of flu and its potentially serious outcomes, and also to encourage vaccination among higher-risk groups, especially pregnant women and children. “The intent of the Wild to Mild campaign is to reset public expectations around what a flu vaccine can do in the event that it does not entirely prevent illness,” the CDC says.
The webpage is reportedly archieved and only some information on the flu vaccination campaign can be found online. According to the report, the HHS has allegedly reviewed the campaign and not to go ahead with it. This comes six days after the Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as President Donald Trump’s health secretary and amidst the rise of the flu season.

According to data published by the CDC on Feb 7, the number of cases was higher than the peak of any winter flu season since 2009-10. The federal agency estimates that there have been at least 24 million flu illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations, and 13,000 deaths, including at least 57 children, so far this season.

This is also the worst flu season the nation has seen in nearly 30 years. The percentage of outpatient and emergency department visits for influenza-like illness reached 7.79% in the week ending Feb. 8, marking the highest recorded level since at least the 1997–98 flu season, according to CDC records.

As flu is on the rise, the CDC recommends vaccination as a shield. “Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every season with rare exceptions. Vaccination is particularly important for people who are at higher risk of serious complications from influenza,” the CDC says.  The reports of measles outbreak in Texas are also coming out with 58 cases confirmed so far. The infected were unvaccinated according to the officials.