> At a Glance
> – 8.2% of outpatient visits are flu-related-the highest since 1997
> – 5,000 deaths recorded this season, including 9 children
> – 45 states report high to very high flu activity
> – Why it matters: Holiday travel and gatherings could push numbers even higher in the weeks ahead
Flu season is hammering the U.S. harder than it has in decades, with doctor visits for flu-like illness climbing to levels not seen since the CDC began tracking 27 years ago.
Record-Shattering Activity
For the week ending Dec. 27, nearly 1 in 10 outpatient visits nationwide were for fever, sore throat, exhaustion or body aches. That 8.2% clip is the highest logged since 1997 and has already translated into:
- 11 million illnesses
- 120,000 hospitalizations
- At least 5,000 deaths
Geographic Snapshot
| Status | States |
|---|---|
| High to very high | 45 states |
| Low to moderate | Montana, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia |
| Insufficient data | Nevada |
Hospitals Feel the Strain
Dr. Nick Cozzi, emergency medical services director at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, says his teams are “incredibly busy.”
> “I see a lot of patients coming in with cough, runny nose, shortness of breath, diarrhea and bone-chilling body aches.”
Many patients are battling flu plus Covid or RSV simultaneously. A notable share require admission because their oxygen levels dip dangerously low.
At Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, flu hospitalizations more than doubled in the last two weeks versus the prior two-week period-and the surge arrived about a month earlier than last year, notes Dr. Emily Boss.
Policy Shift Draws Fire
On Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services removed the flu vaccine from the official childhood schedule, ending a universal recommendation for kids. The change follows last season’s pediatric death toll of 289, the highest since the CDC began tracking child fatalities and exceeding even the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
Dr. Sean O’Leary, American Academy of Pediatrics infectious-disease committee chair, calls the timing tone-deaf:
> “To back off on a flu recommendation in the midst of a pretty severe flu year seems to me to be pretty tone-deaf.”
For now, the CDC website still advises: “Everyone 6 months and older, with rare exceptions, should get a flu vaccine.”
One Family’s Ordeal
Three-year-old Naya Kessler has been hospitalized at UC Davis Medical Center since Wednesday after testing positive Dec. 29. Despite receiving this season’s flu shot, she endured relentless vomiting, spiking fevers and dehydration.
> “I can’t even imagine how much worse it might be for her if we didn’t,” her mother said.
Key Takeaways
- Flu visits are at a 30-year high and still climbing
- 45 states report intense activity; only 4 show moderate spread
- Hospitals admit more patients than usual, many needing oxygen
- Federal policy no longer recommends universal childhood flu shots
- CDC continues to advise vaccination for everyone 6 months and older
With holiday gatherings only just showing up in the data, the crest of this wave may still lie ahead.
