Flu season in the US has escalated to levels not seen in decades, and a newer strain appears to be driving it. All but four states are now reporting high or very high flu activity, according to new CDC data. Doctor visits for flu-like illness—fever plus cough or sore throat—a key measure of respiratory illness—are at their highest level since at least 1997, the earliest year data is available for, ABC News reports. "This is definitely a banner year," Dr. Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells CNN. "It's the worst we've had in at least 20 years. We're seeing a majority of the country is experiencing very high levels of activity, and we're still in the thick of it."
An estimated 11 million Americans have been sick with flu so far this season, with about 120,000 hospitalized and 5,000 deaths, including nine children. Hospitalization rates are the third highest at this point in a season since 2010-11. Nearly every state is seeing elevated activity: Montana and Vermont report low levels, South Dakota and West Virginia moderate levels, and Nevada, which skipped this week's report, showed high levels last week. Flu season tends to peak in January or February and Dr. Robert Hopkins, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, says the steady rise in cases in recent weeks "without much of a decline or even a flattening" suggests the peak still lies ahead, the AP reports.
Experts point to a newer influenza strain, known as subclade K, as a likely reason, CNN reports. It makes up most of the viruses analyzed in labs and appears different enough from strains people have encountered before to slip past existing immune defenses. It emerged after this season's flu shot formula was set, so current vaccines may offer only partial protection against it. Even so, health officials are urging vaccination to reduce severe illness and hospitalizations. "In the next 48 hours, if you haven't been vaccinated, get vaccinated. Don't wait," says Dr. Michael Osterholm at the University of Minnesota.
The surge comes as flu vaccination rates are sliding. Coverage among children has dropped from about 53% in 2019-20 to 42% at this point in the season, and adult doses have fallen from nearly 61 million to about 48 million. On Monday, federal health officials announced plans to shift flu shots for kids to a "shared clinical decision-making" model, potentially adding an extra step to getting vaccinated. The move drew criticism from pediatric infectious disease experts, who say easing recommendations during a severe flu season sends the wrong signal.
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