Moderately Severe Flu Season Strikes U.S. Population

Seasonal influenza (flu) activity in the United States stayed high and even increased in the last week of December, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For the first time, the CDC has classified the 2025-26 flu season as “moderately severe.”

So far, the CDC estimates that the season has caused at least:

11 million illnesses

120,000 hospitalizations

5,000 deaths

Health experts continue to urge people to take precautions, including getting vaccinated, practicing good hygiene, and staying home when sick, to reduce the impact of the flu.