Flu Season Update: What’s Happening in the U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) — Even if it seems like everyone around you is sneezing and coughing, flu season activity is still relatively low in many regions of the U.S.

Recent government data released on Friday indicated that as of last week, flu activity was classified as high in just four states: Colorado, Louisiana, New Jersey, and New York, while most other areas reported minimal to low levels. Although indicators of severity are on the rise, officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that they still fall within what’s considered a “mild” season.

Several illnesses often peak during winter months, largely due to increased indoor gatherings that facilitate germ transmission. This includes not only colds and flu but also norovirus, which leads to vomiting and diarrhea. Interestingly, norovirus cases have been trending upwards recently.

Experts are closely observing three key seasonal respiratory viruses:

Starting with flu, last season was particularly severe, with hospitalization rates the highest seen since the H1N1 pandemic 15 years ago. An additional late-reported case brought last season’s child flu deaths to 288, matching the numbers seen during the 2009-2010 pandemic. Just this week, the first pediatric flu death of the current season was reported.

There’s definitely a sense of concern that this winter could be troublesome.

One strain of flu virus known as A H3N2 has historically led to the most hospitalizations and deaths, especially among older adults. Currently, this is the strain that’s most frequently reported. Alarmingly, nearly 89% of the analyzed H3N2 infections belong to a new variant, known as the subclade K, which differs from the strain included in this year’s flu vaccines.

Flu seasons typically reach their peak around February, so it’s still early to determine how much this discrepancy will affect the situation.

The CDC recommends that everyone aged 6 months and older receive an annual flu shot, and public health experts emphasize that it’s not too late to get vaccinated. According to CDC data, approximately 42% of adults and 41% of children in the U.S. have received their shots this season.

While flu vaccines may not prevent every symptom, they are effective in avoiding severe infections, which seems to be the case for this year’s vaccine based on a preliminary analysis from the U.K..

Another virus to monitor is the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which is known for causing cold-like symptoms but can be particularly dangerous for infants and the elderly. It’s notorious for filling hospitals with wheezing babies each fall and winter.

RSV seasons usually peak by December or January, but cases have been lower than expected so far, as reported by the CDC. However, Dr. Cameron Wolfe, an infectious diseases expert at Duke University, suggested that we might still see an uptick in RSV cases. Recent CDC updates pointed to an increase in infections in the South and mid-Atlantic regions.

Fortunately, newly licensed vaccines for RSV aimed at pregnant women and older adults, as well as laboratory-made antibodies for infants, may make a difference.

“Perhaps, looking on the bright side, we’re gradually vaccinating more people against RSV,” Wolfe remarked. “The virus mutates much slower than flu or COVID, so a vaccine you received a few years ago might still prove effective.”

As of October, about 41% of Americans aged 75 and older and around 40% of infants were reported to have received RSV vaccinations, according to CDC data.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has opened a review of injectable drugs used to protect infants and toddlers despite no safety issues being reported, as concerns about vaccine skepticism linger.

On the COVID-19 front, current activity has decreased from its summer peak.

This week, the CDC published research indicating that the COVID-19 vaccine helps prevent severe illness in children. For those aged 9 months to 4 years, the vaccine was found to be 76% effective against severe symptoms requiring a hospital visit; for kids aged 5 to 17, it showed 56% effectiveness.

Other studies corroborate that the vaccines are both safe and effective for children. However, this report coincides with the Trump administration’s prior decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children, as activists push for the revocation of emergency licenses for certain vaccines such as those from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech.

This year, vaccination rates are low: only about 7% of children and 15% of adults have received the latest COVID-19 vaccine version, according to CDC data.

In October, the agency halted recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine for all, leaving it to individuals to make their own health choices. Many medical professionals and scientific organizations have argued against diluting vaccination guidelines, especially considering COVID-19 has contributed to over 1.2 million deaths in the U.S.