Schools in 11 states have closed due to the spread of influenza this flu season.

The aggressive H3N2 strain of the virus has killed at least 37 children this season and will likely be responsible for the deaths of more, the Wall Street Journal reported.

It killed seven children this week alone, according to authorities. Additionally, hospitalizations have shot up from 36.9 people out of every 100,000 last week to 41.9 per every 100,000 this week.

The CDC has said it will not have an estimation for the number of deaths caused by the flu until next season.

However experts say more than 50,000 Americans will be dead by the end of this flu season, according to Bloomberg.

The Journal reported that Texas saw 2,355 deaths caused by the flu from October to December.

The H3N2 strain tends to hit children and elderly people the hardest, and the epidemic has led to widespread school closures.

Schools in Tennessee, Texas, Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Michigan, Idaho, Missouri, North Carolina and Florida have closed in order to prevent the spread of the disease.

Multiple school officials said this year was the first time they had seen school closures the likes of what is now happening across the US.

Jim Norton is the superintendent of Florida’s Gulf District Schools, which were closed Friday. Norton told the Wall Street Journal: ‘We have taken the steps necessary to act in the best interest of children. We’re going to do a deep cleaning of the schools.’….More Here