The ‘super flu‘ is exploding across the US, with some states seeing more cases than ever before.
The latest CDC data for the week ending December 20 shows positive flu tests are up 53 percent compared to the week prior. Positive tests are up nearly 75 percent from this time last year.
During the week ending December 20, the number of people hospitalized surged 51 percent, and the number already in hospital has nearly doubled compared to the same period last year.
The newest figures, which are updated through December 20, show ‘very high’ flu transmission in 21 states, with New York City, New York state, New Jersey, South Carolina, Louisiana and Colorado reporting the highest rates.
In New York, more than 71,000 flu cases were reported last week, the most the state has ever had in a single week.
Additionally, in the last week, two children in Kentucky and Alabama have died of the flu. According to the CDC data, there have been eight pediatric flu-related deaths this virus season.
Due to the surge, hospitals are enacting Covid-era restrictions on visitors and bringing back mask mandates to slow the spread of the dangerous new flu strain H3N2 subclade K, which experts believe is behind the flu’s meteoric rise.
Duke Health in North Carolina announced this week it will limit hospital visitors starting January 6, 2026, to just two people ages 12 and over per patient. And Iredell Memorial Hospital in North Carolina said beginning this week, it will not allow anyone under 14 to visit.
Noah Smothers, a 14-year-old from Alabama, died this week from flu complications, his family and high school announced
This year’s dominant flu strain is brand new to people’s immune systems, making them highly vulnerable and at an increased risk of severe, hospitalizing illness.
Dr Neal Shipley, medical director of Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care, previously told Daily Mail it is important to recognize the symptoms that ring alarm bells so you know when to seek expert help.
Shipley said that in children, the flu comes on suddenly and may also cause vomiting and diarrhea. He said people over the age of 65 are at the highest risk of complications, including hospitalization and death.
‘If your symptoms worsen quickly, or you have trouble breathing, weakness, dehydration or symptoms that don’t improve after a few days, you should find your nearest urgent care,’ he added.
The flu typically peaks between December and February, but officials fear the end of the surge is nowhere in sight.
Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told 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.
‘That’s the big concern in most of the medical communities right now.’
The CDC estimates there have been at least 7.5 million flu illnesses, 81,000 hospitalizations and 3,100 deaths so far this season.
Duke Health in North Carolina among the US hospitals limiting visitors to slow the flu’s spread
The left image shows the hospitalization rates for the flu for the week ending December 20, 2025. The right image shows the rate at this time last year. This year’s rate is nearly twice as high
The latest data shows one in four flu tests during the week of December 20 came back positive, up from 15 percent the week before.
The hospitalization rate also increased from 11 per 100,000 people to 18.2 per 100,000 in just the span of a week. This is nearly twice the 9.6 per 100,000 rate at this time last year.
Additionally, outpatient respiratory illness accounted for 6 percent of doctor visits during the week of December 20 compared to 4 percent the week before.
Among the pediatric deaths was 14-year-old Noah Smothers from Alabama, who died Monday from flu-related complications.
The teenager’s sister posted on Facebook this week: ‘Our hearts are broken. Our best friend, brother, my first baby.
‘There’s not [sic] words to describe the hurt we are feeling right now. But we have the peace of knowing that he is with our Lord and savior.
‘It was such an honor to be his sister. He loved big and always had jokes to tell. Hold your loved ones extra close and let them know how much you love them.
‘It’s my prayer that Noah’s life helps to bring others closer to God. And that if you don’t know Him as your Lord that He will open your heart.’
The above CDC graph shows the gradual increase in positive influenza tests through December 20, the latest available data
Smothers is pictured here on the right. His sister wrote after his passing: ‘Our hearts are broken. Our best friend, brother, my first baby.’
Kentucky health officials also announced a child from Kenton County, on the southern border with Ohio, died of the flu this week. The unidentified child had not received this year’s flu vaccine.
Influenza A, which includes subclade K and accounts for three in four flu cases, can best be prevented with an annual vaccine, which is 30 to 75 percent effective.
As of late November, 40 percent of American adults have received this season’s flu shot, which is in line with last year’s figures.
Dr Ken Redcross, an internal medicine physician in New York and spokesman for Boiron USA, also advised handwashing and steering clear of anyone who may be sick.
He previously told the Daily Mail: ‘The best way to reduce flu risk during and after the holidays is to limit exposure where possible.’