Category: Influenza
Colorado: An emergency room physician describes why the 2025-26 flu season is hitting hard
The Conversation Colorado is in the midst of a record-breaking flu season. In the week ending Dec. 27, 2025, 831 people were hospitalized with influenza – the most since the state started tracking flu cases two decades ago. Hospitalizations eased the following week to 737 but still remain higher than prior years. Colorado is among the top five states with the […]
Jan 14, 2026
The Flu Really Is That Bad
The Atlantic The virus is storming the country, a reminder of how terrible its toll can be. The flu situation in the United States right now is, in a word, bad. Infections have skyrocketed in recent weeks, filling hospitals nearly to capacity; viral levels are “high” or “very high” in most of the country. In […]
Jan 14, 2026
The Best Flu Drug Americans Aren’t Taking
The Atlantic This flu season has been rough. Antivirals can help. Antiviral drugs for influenza, the best known of which is Tamiflu, are—let’s be honest—not exactly miracle cures. They marginally shorten the course of illness, especially if taken within the first 48 hours. But amid possibly the worst flu season in 25 years, driven by […]
Jan 14, 2026
Viral outbreaks are always on the horizon – here are the viruses an infectious disease expert is watching in 2026
The Conversation A new year might mean new viral threats. Old viruses are constantly evolving. A warming and increasingly populated planet puts humans in contact with more and different viruses. And increased mobility means that viruses can rapidly travel across the globe along with their human hosts. As an infectious diseases physician and researcher, I’ll be keeping an eye on a […]
Jan 7, 2026
4 child flu deaths reported in Massachusetts: “We are seeing children who are seriously ill”
CBS News Four children have died from the flu in Massachusetts so far this season, public health officials say. The deaths occurred in recent weeks as peak flu season gets underway, according to the Department of Public Health. The Boston Public Health Commission said Tuesday that two of the deaths were children in the city under 2 […]
Jan 7, 2026
Why flu seems to be everywhere — even if ‘super flu’ is not a thing
STAT News Subclade K is making its impact felt. Australia’s 2025 flu season lasted weeks longer than it normally does. Hong Kong’s hit so early that the rollout of seasonal flu shots hadn’t yet started. New York has reported record-breaking flu hospitalizations for the past two weeks. Welcome to the winter of subclade K. Even if you weren’t already aware of […]
Jan 7, 2026
Flu is surging nationwide, and doctors say we’re nowhere near the peak
NBC News The new variant of Influenza A, or H3N2, has been given the nickname ‘super flu.’ The fast-spreading virus has caused hospitalizations to nearly double in a week, the CDC reported. Flu is surging across the U.S., sending thousands more people to the hospital and hitting young children especially hard, as doctors warn the season […]
Dec 30, 2025
Flu cases are surging and rates will likely get worse, new CDC data shows
NPR Flu season is off to a rough start this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the virus arrived as expected, cases are rising faster, compared with previous years. Last week, more than 19,000 patients with influenza were admitted to hospitals, up about 10,000 from the previous week, according to new […]
Dec 30, 2025
New flu strain putting severe pressure on healthcare across Europe, says WHO
Guardian At least 27 of 38 countries in WHO’s European region are reporting high or very high influenza activity, body says. An intense surge in flu cases driven by a newly dominant virus strain is sweeping across Europe, placing healthcare systems in several countries under severe pressure, the World Health Organization has said. The WHO said on […]
Dec 17, 2025
Experts predict this year’s flu season to be worse than usual—here’s why
National Geographic Every year, flu season in North America starts to peak around the holiday season. But this year, doctors and researchers are especially worried. “We will have a significant flu season this year, and we have a lot of concern that it’s going to be more severe than typical,” says Richard Martinello, an infectious diseases […]
Dec 17, 2025