11:01 pm - February 22, 2025
The US Faces an Unusually Severe Flu Season
The United States is currently grappling with an intense and severe flu season, with hospitalization rates surpassing those seen during some points of the COVID-19 pandemic. Doctors across the country are reporting not only a surge in flu cases but also an alarming rise in devastating complications, particularly in both children and adults. This season has been marked by unusual severity, with widespread reports of neurological issues in children and life-threatening bacterial infections in adults.
Severe Complications in Children: A Growing Concern
Pediatric specialists are sounding the alarm about a spike in severe neurological complications in children, including a rare and potentially deadly condition called acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE). ANE is characterized by brain swelling that leads to tissue death, often resulting in devastating consequences such as uncontrollable drowsiness and long-term neurological damage. While ANE is fatal in about half of cases, it is typically rare, occurring in only about 1 in 100,000 children with the flu. However, this season has seen an unusual increase in such cases, with pediatricians like Dr. Keith Van Haren at Stanford Medicine noting what appears to be a sharp rise in ANE cases across the country.
Similarly, doctors are observing a rise in seizures and other neurological complications in children with the flu. While these complications are still relatively rare, the sheer volume of flu cases this season has led to a noticeable increase in their occurrence. For example, in a typical flu season, about four cases of seizures are expected for every 10,000 children under 5 with the flu. However, this year’s surge in flu cases has made such complications more prevalent than usual.
Adults Hit Hard by Flesh-Eating Bacteria and Pneumonia
In adults, the flu season has brought a wave of severe bacterial infections, particularly those caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a superbug that is highly resistant to antibiotics. Doctors are reporting unusually high numbers of MRSA pneumonia cases, many of which are necrotizing, meaning they cause significant destruction of lung tissue. These infections can be deadly, and even survivors often suffer from scarred lungs, which can impair their ability to breathe normally.
Critical care nurses across the country have taken to social media to describe the overwhelming number of flu patients they are treating, many of whom are young and otherwise healthy. One nurse in Maryland described seeing “so many people in their 40s just absolutely getting wrecked by the flu,” while another in the Pacific Northwest compared the situation to the Delta COVID-19 wave. These firsthand accounts highlight the severity of this flu season and its impact on hospitals nationwide.
Flu Hospitalization Rates Surpass COVID-19 Levels
The severity of this flu season is underscored by hospitalization rates that have surpassed those seen during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 14.4 flu hospitalizations for every 100,000 people in the US during the week ending February 1, slightly higher than the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations during the Delta wave in September 2021.
This season has also seen a higher cumulative number of flu hospitalizations compared to COVID-19 hospitalizations, with 64 flu hospitalizations per 100,000 people, compared to 44 COVID hospitalizations per 100,000 people. Additionally, weekly deaths from flu have surpassed those from COVID for the first time, with 1,302 flu deaths in the last two weeks of January compared to 1,066 COVID deaths. These numbers are a stark reminder of the flu’s impact, especially as it continues to spread across the country.
Nationwide Flu Activity and the Rise of Dual Influenza Strains
Flu activity is currently very high across the US, with about 1 in every 3 people tested for the flu in clinics or hospitals receiving a positive result. In some areas, such as clinics in Washington, flu positivity rates are as high as 50%, a figure described as “mind-blowing” by Dr. John Lynch, an infectious disease specialist at UW Medicine.
This season’s flu activity is further complicated by the simultaneous circulation of two influenza A strains, H1N1 and H3N2, in roughly equal numbers. Typically, one strain predominates, but this year’s 50-50 split is uncommon and adds to the challenge of managing the outbreak. Both strains are contributing to the high volume of cases and complications, with H1N1 affecting younger people and H3N2 disproportionately impacting older adults.
Hospitals Overwhelmed as Flu Season Intensifies
The intensity of this flu season has left hospitals across the US stretched to the limit. Dr. Ryan Maves, a critical care medicine specialist at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, compared the situation to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, noting that hospitals are full and staff are seeing cases they haven’t encountered in years. For example, there has been an increase in adult patients requiring ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) therapy, a life-saving intervention that takes over the function of the heart and lungs to allow the body to recover.
The situation is further exacerbated by low vaccination rates. Only about 44% of adults and 44% of children have received a flu shot this season, down from pre-pandemic levels. This drop in vaccine coverage has worrying implications, as the flu vaccine is the most effective way to prevent severe outcomes from the flu. Tragically, many of the 57 children who have died from the flu this season were unvaccinated, a stark reminder of the importance of vaccination.
Experts Urge Prevention and Vigilance
Despite the severity of this flu season, there is still hope for reducing its impact. Experts emphasize that it’s not too late to get a flu shot, as it takes about a week for the immune system to respond to the vaccine. Additionally, they recommend taking other preventive measures, such as washing hands frequently, wearing high-quality masks in crowded spaces, and improving indoor air quality through ventilation and cleaning.
For those who do fall ill, testing early and starting antiviral drugs like Tamiflu or Relenza can significantly reduce the risk of severe complications. Over-the-counter home flu tests are widely available, and prompt treatment is crucial, as antiviral medications work best when taken early in the course of the illness.
In short, while this flu season is unusually severe, there are steps everyone can take to protect themselves and others. As Dr. Jennifer Nayak, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Rochester Medical Center, noted, the same precautions that helped during the COVID-19 pandemic—masking, handwashing, and testing—are just as effective against the flu. By taking these measures, we can all play a role in reducing the spread of the flu and alleviating the burden on our overwhelmed healthcare system.