EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. — A Georgetown family is sharing a cautionary message with local parents after their 3-year-old daughter, Nayah Kessler, was hospitalized for nearly a week with severe complications from influenza at a time when flu cases are climbing nationwide.
Nayah first showed flu symptoms on Christmas and was admitted to the hospital shortly afterward. What began as a common case of influenza progressed into a rare immune reaction known as Kawasaki disease, a childhood illness that causes inflammation in blood vessels and can affect the heart, according to health professionals.
“She was very irritable, in pain, and uncomfortable,”
said Katherine Kessler, Nayah’s mother, describing the early days of her daughter’s illness.
As a result of the escalating illness, Nayah temporarily lost some ability to stand or walk and will require physical therapy. Her care plan also includes multiple visits to a pediatric cardiologist over the coming two months to monitor her heart function.
“If she hadn’t been vaccinated, I don’t even want to think about where we would have been,” Kessler said, stressing the importance of immunization.
Despite being up to date on her vaccines, Nayah’s body was less prepared to fight this year’s dominant flu strain — a mutated subtype known as influenza A(H3N2) Subclade K. This variant emerged after the development of the current flu vaccines, meaning there is reduced immunity in the population and a partial mismatch between circulating viruses and the vaccine’s targets.
Public health officials nationally describe the 2025–26 flu season as “moderately severe,” with elevated activity following the winter holidays. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports millions of influenza illnesses and thousands of hospitalizations and deaths so far this season, including multiple pediatric fatalities. Flu activity remains high in most parts of the country — driven by the H3N2 Subclade K strain.
Dr. Dean Blumberg of UC Davis Health echoed those concerns locally, noting the vaccine’s imperfect match this season but emphasizing that vaccination can still reduce the risk of serious outcomes. “The influenza vaccine is not a perfect match; people don’t have much immunity because this is a new strain that has developed,” he said.
The Kessler family was expected to return home Wednesday, but they hope other families in El Dorado County will take heed of their experience.
It’s not “just a cold,” Katherine said. “It’s something that can put your life at risk.”
