As vaccine skepticism gains a greater foothold in the Trump administration and some statehouses, some Americans may already be paying the price, with deaths from influenza on the rise. Flu-related deaths hit a seven-year high in January and February, the two months that usually account for the height of flu season, according to a Stateline analysis of preliminary federal statistics. There were about 9,800 deaths across the country, up from 5,000 in the same period last year and the most since 2018, when there were about 10,800. Despite that, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has canceled or postponed meetings to prepare for next fall's flu vaccine, when experts talk about what influenza strains they expect they'll be battling.