Flu Explosion Sweeps 45 States as Illnesses Spike to a 30-Year High

This surging across the United States at an alarming pace, pushing doctor visits for flu-like symptoms to their highest level in nearly three decades and placing growing strain on hospitals nationwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this activity is now classified as high to very high in 45 states, with only Montana, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia reporting low to moderate spread.

Doctors’ visits for related illness — including fever, sore throat, severe fatigue, cough, and body aches — have reached levels not seen since the CDC began tracking this data in 1997. For the week ending December 27, nearly 1 in 10 outpatient visits nationwide (8.2%) were due to  symptoms. Health officials warn the numbers are likely to rise further, as the most recent data does not yet reflect the impact of holiday travel and large gatherings.

This season, which is still in its early stages, has already caused more than 11 million illnesses, at least 120,000 hospitalizations, and over 5,000 deaths, including nine children. It follows the deadliest pediatric flu season on record, with last year’s total of 289 child deaths surpassing even the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.

Hospitals across the country are reporting sharp increases in severe cases. At Johns Hopkins Hospital, flu hospitalizations have more than doubled in the past two weeks compared to the previous two-week period. Dr. Emily Boss, director of pediatric otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, noted that this spike is arriving about a month earlier than last year. “We’re not anywhere close to being done,” she warned.

Doctors say the severity of cases is being compounded by co-infections. Many patients are arriving with influenza alongside Covid-19 or RSV, making symptoms more intense and recovery more difficult. Nick Cozzi, emergency medical services director at Rush University Medical Center, said his team is “incredibly busy,” treating patients with shortness of breath, dangerously low oxygen levels, dehydration, and extreme body aches. “We’re admitting patients at a higher rate than we normally do,” he said, describing cases that can quickly become life-threatening without supplemental oxygen.

Flu Explosion Sweeps 45 States, Overwhelming Hospitals and Raising Alarms for Children and Families

The risk to young children has been particularly stark. At UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, three-year-old Naya Kessler remains hospitalized nearly a week after being diagnosed with the flu. Despite being previously healthy and vaccinated, Naya developed persistent high fevers, vomiting, and dehydration. “There was just something screaming at me that something was wrong,” said her mother, Dr. Kat Kessler. “I can’t even imagine how much worse it might be for her if we didn’t get the flu shot.”

Pediatric infectious disease experts stress that it is still too early to predict how severe this season will be overall, but the early signs are concerning. “We don’t know yet what the peak will look like compared to prior seasons,” said Sean O’Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ committee on infectious diseases. “But this is coming off a year when we had the most childhood flu deaths in many years.”

Adding to the controversy, the Department of Health and Human Services recently announced changes to the official childhood vaccination schedule under guidance linked to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Some public health experts have criticized the timing, noting that the CDC continues to recommend flu vaccination for everyone six months and older. “To back off on a flu recommendation in the middle of a severe flu year seems incredibly tone-deaf,” Boss said.

CDC epidemiologist Krista Kniss emphasized that the situation remains fluid. “It’s still too soon to know what impact the holiday season will have on flu activity,” she said, adding that surveillance data in the coming weeks will be critical.

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For now, health officials are urging the public to take precautions seriously: get vaccinated, stay home when sick, wash hands frequently, and seek medical care early for high fever, breathing difficulty, or dehydration — especially in children, older adults, and those with underlying conditions. As doctors warn, this flu season is far from over, and its most dangerous phase may still lie ahead.