WASHINGTON STATE — With flu season in full swing, new statewide data reveals a recent spike in flu-related hospitalizations and emergency room visits compared to previous seasons.
Snohomish County recently reported its first two flu-related deaths of the season, with public health officials there saying the following:
Local Emergency Departments are also seeing a higher number of visits due to flu, nearly five times higher than the threshold that would alert officials to increased transmission; twice as high as what was reported during the same week in 2024.
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According to the Washington Department of Health, flu hospitalizations have been on the rise statewide since November.
“Flu is still an issue. It’s come later, but now it’s here, and there’s no lost opportunity of getting vaccinated,” said Dr. Paul Thottingal, senior director of communicable diseases and organizational preparedness at Kaiser Permanente
The recent spike in flu hospitalizations and E.R. visits is typical for this time of year, according to health experts. Dr. Thottingal noted, “In the last two years, we’ve seen influenza start earlier and peak pretty early. So generally, influenza, prior to the pandemic, the season was somewhere between the end of December, beginning of March, and that’s kind of more on time this year than in prior years during the pandemic.”
Doctors emphasize that January and February are typically the worst months for flu, though, in this region, the season can extend into March and April. Dr. Ana Weil, an infectious diseases physician at UW Medicine, explained, “There’s year-to-year differences in the influenza infections. These can be due to vaccination rates. They can be due to the, more importantly, the strain that’s circulating in a given year.”
Pediatric flu activity has also been high in recent weeks. Doctors at Seattle Children’s Hospital advise that if children are having trouble breathing or if a fever persists for more than a couple of days, it may be time to seek medical attention. Dr. Sara Vora, an infectious disease pediatrician at Seattle Children’s, said, “If kids are not staying hydrated, so they’re not taking in fluids for young, younger kids or babies, you can look at how many wet diapers they’re having, so if that’s gone down significantly, it can be a sign they’re dehydrated.”
As hospital visits for the flu increase, state data indicates that flu vaccinations are slightly down this season, which could be contributing to the spike. Dr. Weil suggested that “vaccine fatigue is a possible reason. After, you know, the COVID-19 period when people were more accustomed to getting frequent vaccines, I think some of the enthusiasm may be lowered, which I think is unfortunate.”
Health professionals urge those who have not yet received their flu vaccines to do so, especially as the season progresses and other viruses like RSV and COVID-19 also see a rise.
