Newly released data shows the current U.S. flu season is shattering recent records, topping numbers dating to the early 2000s, when swine flu plagued the country.
Numbers released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Friday morning showed nearly 50,000 people were admitted to hospitals with influenza, and 10 children died of seasonal flu during the fifth week of the year.
The CDC estimates there have been at least 24 million illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths from the flu so far this season, which started Oct. 1. Nearly 60 of the deaths were children.
Although COVID-19 and RSV cases appear to be falling nationally, the flu, which typically peaks in February, has forced schools to temporarily close in some states, according to The Associated Press.
The Godley Independent School District, which serves 3,200 Texas students, closed for multiple days last week after nearly 700 students and staff were absent on a single day, the AP reported. School district spokesperson Jeff Meador said it has been the worst flu season he remembers.
Of the 50 states, 43 reported high or very high flu activity in the fifth week of 2025, according to CDC data.
The most activity was detected in Texas, New Mexico, Nebraska, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, South Carolina, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York City, according to a CDC map.
While health officials recommend the annual flu shot to those older than 6 months, only about 44% of adults got flu shots this winter, the AP reported.
Children’s vaccinations dropped from 50% to 45%.
It is unclear how successful this year’s flu vaccine will be.
Fox News Digital recently reported the CDC is closely monitoring reports of a spike in human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China.
HMPV, which was discovered in 2001, remains at pre-pandemic levels and presents the same as the common cold, according to the CDC.
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