A total of 115 children died from influenza last year in the United States and only less than a quarter were vaccinated against flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

The statistics include data from September 1, 2010, through August 31, 2011,

U.S. authorities urged parents or caregivers with children 5 years old or below to vaccinate them.

"These findings underscore the importance of vaccinating children to prevent influenza virus infection and its potentially severe complications," the CDC said in its Weekly report of Morbidity and Mortality.

One part of the report may raise concerns for parents.

Twenty-three percent of children who died had been vaccinated. Half of them had been healthy and had not been diagnosed with any high-risk medical conditions that made them more likely to have flu complications.

Experts think the reason behind the deaths of vaccinated children could have been underlying diseases that they had been suffering from. Around 19% of the children who died of flu had an underlying type of disease such as asthma.

Influenza-associated pediatric mortality has been a nationally notifiable condition since October 2004, according to the CDC.

Where to get the 2012 season flu vaccine?

People may obtain flu shots through their primary care physician or by using available providers.

One useful tool which has been used in previous years to find providers is the Google Flu Vaccine Finder, which as of early September was inactive.

The finder “will return for the 2011/12 flu season,” according to a statement on the finder’s website.

In the meantime, the federal government’s flu information websitealso provides a page which allows people to go directly to their state’s flu information page.