Why Is This Year’s Flu Season So Bad? Doctors Explain

If it feels like everyone is sick with the flu right now, you’re not imaging it. The United States is facing what seems like one of the most intense flu seasons in the past decade. Doctor’s visits for influenza symptoms have reached the highest level seen in over 15 years, since the 2009–2010 swine flu pandemic rocked the nation.

The latest wave of flu is overwhelming hospitals around the country and forcing dozens of schools to close temporarily.

“Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated and continues to increase across the country,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in their latest FluView report for the week ending on Feb. 1.

More than 31% of flu tests performed by laboratories nationwide came back positive during the week ending Feb. 1, per CDC data — up from just 18% in mid-January. Nearly all cases are influenza A, which tends to be more aggressive in adults.

At least 43 states and the District of Columbia are reporting “very high” or “high” levels of influenza-like illness activity, per the CDC‘s latest data. The South, Southeast and Midwest are being hit especially hard.

The surge of influenza A is causing swaths of people to seek care.

During the week ending Feb. 1, nearly 8% of visits to health care providers were for influenza-like illness (a fever plus a cough or sore throat) — the highest level seen since the peak of the 2009-2010 flu season.

An NBC News analysis of CDC data shows that outpatient visits for flu symptoms appear to be higher than they’ve been during any flu season going back at least 28 years.

Emergency department visits and hospitalizations are also surging. In late January, the weekly rate of flu hospitalizations reached the highest level observed during all flu seasons since 2010, according to the CDC.

“It feels like everybody has influenza right now,” Dr. Linda Yancey, an infectious disease specialist at Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, tells TODAY.com.

The 2024–2025 flu season has caused an estimated 24 million cases, 310,000 hospitalizations, and 15,000 deaths so far, the CDC says.

According to experts, there’s more to come — this flu season started later than usual and activity has yet to peak.

How severe is this flu season?

The timing and severity of flu seasons varies from year to year. “If you’ve seen one flu season, you have seen one flu season. They are all a bit different,” says Yancey.

The CDC assesses the severity of each flu season based on influenza-like illness activity, flu hospitalizations and flu-coded deaths.

According to their latest in-season flu severity assessment (through Jan. 25), this is a “moderately severe” flu season for all ages. However, this is subject to change.

Experts say it’s still too soon to tell how severe this season is and how it compares previous seasons.

“Since this season isn’t over yet, it may turn out to be worse in regards to both the number of cases and number of people dying from influenza,” Dr. David Janz, director of medical critical care service at University Medical Center in New Orleans, tells TODAY.com.

An estimated 13,000 people have died from flu this season so far, including 57 children. The death toll could reach up to 65,000 by the end of the season, per preliminary estimates from the CDC.

We won’t know the true burden of this flu season — including cases, hospitalizations and deaths — for a few more months, until after the season ends.

However, there are anecdotal reports from doctors around the country that this flu season is more intense than usual and could get worse before it gets better.

“People are getting hit really hard.”

“My emergency room has been completely full for the last several weeks. There’s no inpatient beds, no ICU beds, and overflow (patients) are spilling into the emergency department. We have beds lining up and down every single one of the hallways,” Dr. Randy Joe Hartman, an emergency medicine physician at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, tells TODAY.com.

Hartman, who is based in Waco, Texas, says flu is driving many of these ER visits, in addition to RSV, rhinovirus and parainfluenza.

“Every age group is being affected,” says Hartman, adding that he’s seeing very large flu numbers across the board, among healthy people and higher-risk individuals alike.

“People are getting hit really hard, not only in their lungs, but the rest of their body, with these high fevers, bad body aches and the sensation of feeling run down,” Dr. Joseph Khabbaza, a critical care pulmonologist at Cleveland Clinic, tells TODAY.com.

Anecdotally, Khabazza says he’s hearing that flu is making people sicker than they’ve felt in years, leaving them bed-bound for days.

“Our hospital has really had a steady volume of flu (patients) getting admitted. I can’t remember it really being this steady for this long without tapering off,” says Khabazza. “I’m also seeing more patients with the flu ending up in the ICU, needing oxygen or ventilators, than the usual flu season,” Khabazza adds.

Some experts are concerned that current wave of infections will result in a later surge of flu complications, which could further overwhelm hospitals and ICUs.

Once infected with flu, people are more prone to develop a secondary bacterial infections within a few weeks, says Khabazza. These include sinus or ear infections, and pneumonia.

Studies show that up to one-third of hospitalized patients with flu develop pneumonia.

“People can have breathing problems, chest pain and (low) blood oxygen levels. … Sometimes they need to be on life support,” says Janz. Pneumonia can cause respiratory failure, sepsis or death.

“We’re still seemingly right in the middle of this flu season … but unfortunately, I think it’s probably going to be the worst season in the past couple years in regards to patient outcomes,” says Janz.

Why is flu so bad right now?

It’s hard to say why this flu season is particularly intense, the experts note. It could be a combination of factors, Yancey notes.

“This (flu season) just feels much longer. … I feel like we would have already peaked by now,” says Khabbaza.

In the U.S. flu activity usually ramps up in October and peaks in January or February. However, this flu season started late and took off after the holidays when children returned to school, which could’ve allowed more spread, the experts note.

The specific flu strains circulating, as well as low vaccination rates, may also play a role.

“We’re seeing multiple strains. … It’s not just the seasonal flu (H3N2), but we’re also seeing the swine flu (H1N1) rearing its ugly head again,” says Hartman.

The 2024-2025 flu shot protects against three strains — H3N2, H1N1 and a flu B strain — but uptake has been very poor this season, Dr. David Warren, chief of the division of infectious disease at University of Nebraska Medical Center.

An estimated 44% of adults and children in the U.S. have gotten the flu shot this season, compared to over 50% during most previous seasons, per CDC data. Rates are even lower among school-aged children. “That makes a difference,” says Warren, adding that the flu shot also protects against severe illness.

“The common trend I’m seeing in patients with severe influenza is that they are unvaccinated,” Yancey says.

The flu also mutates, and immunity fades over time. “It may also be that some people just haven’t had influenza for several years,” Warren adds.

“Since the pandemic, I think we’ve seen the general health of the population overall decline. Then you have a flu season that’s worse than usual, and that really knocks everyone down quite a bit,” Hartman adds.

Flu symptoms

The most common influenza symptoms include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Body aches
• Headache
• Stuffy nose
• Fatigue

Flu symptoms can range from mild to severe. Most people with flu will recover at home in about a week.

Some people are at higher risk of developing severe illness. These include adults who are over the age of 65, children under the age of two, pregnant women and people who have a weakened immune system or underlying chronic illnesses.

Flu treatment

If you get the flu, the experts recommend staying home. Most people will recover without treatment, but supportive care like rest, hydration and over-the-counter drugs can help manage symptoms.

Flu antivirals, such as oseltamivir or Tamiflu, can help lessen the severity or duration of flu symptoms, per the CDC. These require a prescription and are most effective when taken within one to two days after symptoms begin, says Khabbaza.

Not everyone who gets the flu needs these drugs, the experts note.

The CDC recommends flu antivirals for people who get infected and are at higher risk of developing severe illness, such as pregnant women and people with asthma, lung disease or heart disease.

If you have any questions or concerns, talk to your doctor.

How to prevent flu

Getting your flu shot is the most effective way to protect against flu. The 2024-2025 seasonal influenza vaccines are recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older.

It’s still not too late to get one, the experts say. The current vaccine includes a flu B strain, which can surge later in the season, so it can offer continued protection.

You can take other simple actions to help prevent flu. “Flex those pandemic skills,” says Yancey.

• Stay home when sick.
• Avoid contact with sick people.
• Wear a mask in crowded, indoor spaces.
• Practice good hand hygiene.