"Bottom line for people, if they haven't gotten vaccinated against the flu, they should get vaccinated, particularly young kids and older adults, Nuzzo said. The spike in cases comes after a 2024-2025 flu season that was the most severe since 2018, according to the CDC. It also included 279 influenza-associated pediatric deaths, the highest reported to the agency during a seasonal influenza epidemic."
"In the United States, there had been an estimated 7.5m influenza cases and 81,000 hospitalizations by 20 December. That marked a 25% increase in cases over the previous week, according to the CDC. Thirty-two states have seen a high or very high number of flu illnesses. A lot of people are getting the flu at the same time, which is always tough. That is actually tougher than a situation in which people get it and it's spread out over a longer period, Nuzzo said."
Influenza cases in the United States rose sharply in December following a 2024–2025 season that produced more than 3,100 deaths in the year ending August 2025 and 279 pediatric fatalities. A new variant, subclade K, has emerged and Europe experienced unusually early, high influenza activity in December. By 20 December, an estimated 7.5 million influenza cases and 81,000 hospitalizations had occurred in the U.S., a 25% increase from the prior week, with 32 states reporting high or very high illness levels. Simultaneous infections have strained healthcare capacity, and reduced vaccine uptake may worsen outcomes after cancellation of a CDC vaccination campaign.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]