As the United States rang in the new year, a different kind of visitor swept across the country: influenza, surging to levels not seen in recent memory. Hospitals from Kansas City to New York and beyond are reporting record-breaking spikes in cases, with medical staff scrambling to keep up and families grappling with the sudden, sometimes severe, onset of illness. The holiday season’s hallmark gatherings and travel appear to have fueled this explosive spread, and experts warn the worst may not yet be over.
According to data published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on December 20, 2025, at least 7.5 million Americans have already fallen ill with the flu this season. Hospitalizations have reached 81,000, and 3,100 people have died, including at least eight children. The CDC’s numbers reflect a sharp and troubling increase: positive flu tests have soared 53 percent in just one week, and are now nearly 75 percent higher than the same time last year. Hospitalizations have surged 51 percent in that same period, with the current rate nearly double what it was a year ago. Twenty-one states are experiencing “very high” flu transmission, with New York City, New Jersey, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Colorado among those hardest hit. New York alone reported more than 71,000 flu cases in a single week—a record for the state.
The Kansas City Metro is a microcosm of the national crisis. The University of Kansas Health System reported on January 1, 2026, that it was seeing seven times more flu patients than just two weeks earlier. At Saint Luke’s Health System, a similar trend emerged after Thanksgiving, as cases of Influenza A began to climb rapidly. The Jackson County Health Department noted almost five times as many flu cases as the previous week, along with a rise in respiratory illnesses resembling Influenza A. Layne Strookman, a nurse practitioner at St. Luke’s, described the scene: “Patients are pretty sick who are coming in with the flu. We’re seeing a lot of high fevers, like 102-103 degree temperatures. People look miserable. They feel miserable.” On December 31, 2025, her clinic treated 47 patients in a single day—20 of whom tested positive for Influenza A.
Dr. Neal Shipley, medical director of Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care, explained to the Daily Mail that this year’s dominant flu strain, the H3N2 subclade K, is brand new to most people’s immune systems. “That’s the big concern in most of the medical communities right now,” said Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, speaking to NPR. “When you’re in the middle of seeing the curve start to go up, we just don’t have any sense of where it’s going to stop.”
The symptoms are as sudden as they are severe. Dr. Pamela Lindor, a pediatrician at Bluebird Kids Health in Jacksonville, Florida, told CNN that flu often begins abruptly with fever, chills, headache, body aches, and fatigue. In children, vomiting and diarrhea may also occur. For many, the misery is compounded by high fevers—sometimes reaching 103 degrees Fahrenheit—persistent coughing, nausea, and chills. One Kansas City visitor, T. T. Fernandez, described his ordeal: “I had it a couple of weeks ago. It lasted two weeks. It was pretty bad. I got a bruised rib from it because I was coughing so much.”
Doctors are urging anyone who develops symptoms to get tested promptly. “Particularly if you’re a person in a high-risk group,” advised Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in an interview with CNN. High-risk individuals include those over 65, pregnant people, the immune-compromised, and very young children. Over-the-counter flu tests—similar to Covid-19 tests—are now widely available, but if a test is negative and symptoms are severe, experts recommend seeking a more accurate test from a doctor or urgent care center. “Flu is not the only illness we’re concerned about,” Schaffner noted. “Maybe you have Covid, and if you have Covid, we have another medication that could help keep you out of the hospital.”
When it comes to treatment, timing is everything. Prescription antiviral drugs like Tamiflu and Xofluza are most effective when started within two days of symptom onset, but can still benefit high-risk patients if begun later. “The sooner you begin the antiviral, the more effective it is,” Schaffner said. In some cases, these medications are prescribed prophylactically to people who have been exposed to the flu but are not yet symptomatic, especially if they are in a vulnerable group. Dr. Lindor explained, “Tamiflu can be prescribed to people who have been exposed to the flu, and is usually taken for 7-10 days to prevent infection. Xofluza can also be used prophylactically, and only one dose is needed, for adults and children 5 or older.”
As the virus rips through communities, hospitals are reinstating restrictions reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic. Duke Health in North Carolina announced it will limit hospital visitors to just two people ages 12 and over per patient starting January 6, 2026. Iredell Memorial Hospital will bar anyone under 14 from visiting. Mask mandates have also returned in several facilities. “The best way to reduce flu risk during and after the holidays is to limit exposure where possible,” Dr. Ken Redcross, an internal medicine physician in New York, told the Daily Mail. Handwashing and disinfecting common surfaces remain critical preventive measures.
When should someone with the flu return to normal life? The CDC advises staying home and avoiding contact with others until at least 24 hours after a fever subsides without the use of medication and overall symptoms are improving, which usually takes at least four to five days. Masks can help reduce transmission, but experts like Schaffner emphasize that isolation is more effective. “Even if you say, ‘Well, I have these symptoms, but I’ll wear a mask.’ Yes, that will reduce the chance of spreading but not reduce it to zero,” he warned. Close contact, especially at family gatherings, can easily lead to further spread.
For households with a sick member, vigilance is key. “Good handwashing is very important to prevent spread,” Lindor said. Other family members should disinfect surfaces and, if they are high-risk, consult their doctor about preventive antivirals.
Most people will recover at home, but certain warning signs demand urgent medical attention: difficulty breathing, coughing up blood, high fever over 103 degrees Fahrenheit, dehydration, chest pain, lethargy, mental status changes, seizures, or severe weakness. Prolonged confusion or fever lasting more than three days also warrant a trip to the hospital.
Despite the surge, it’s not too late to get vaccinated. “It’s not too late to get your flu shot,” said Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, as reported by CNN. The CDC recommends vaccination for everyone six months and older, but rates remain low—about 17 percent of children and 23 percent of adults had been vaccinated by the end of November 2025. The vaccine, while not perfect, is estimated to be 30 to 75 percent effective against the dominant Influenza A strain, including the new H3N2 subclade K. “For all those people out there who are still well, if you haven’t been vaccinated, please get the vaccine. Don’t linger,” Schaffner urged.
With flu season typically peaking between December and February—and the current surge showing no signs of abating—health officials and families alike are bracing for what could be a long, challenging winter.
