CDC: Flu activity elevated; pediatric burden remains severe as hospitalizations and deaths climb
CDC surveillance shows influenza activity remains elevated nationwide, with a particularly heavy toll on children during the 2025–26 season, including dozens of pediatric deaths and historically high pediatric hospitalization rates.
Influenza activity remains elevated across the United States, according to the CDC’s weekly FluView surveillance, with the agency warning that the season’s pediatric impact has been especially severe even as some indicators eased after the holidays.
In its Week 2 report (ending January 17, 2026), CDC said influenza A(H3N2) viruses are the most frequently reported so far this season. The agency noted that some regions—including parts of the Midwest and the central and west coast—were seeing stable or increasing trends in certain activity measures after earlier declines.
Hospital surveillance data show why public health officials remain concerned. FluSurv-NET’s overall weekly hospitalization rate peaked in Week 52 at 12.8 per 100,000 population, which CDC described as the second-highest peak weekly rate overall since the 2010–2011 season. CDC also highlighted that children under 18 have experienced the highest peak pediatric weekly hospitalization rate observed since the 2010–2011 season.
The season’s pediatric death toll has also risen. In the Week 2 report, CDC said 12 influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported that week, bringing the season total to 44 pediatric deaths. Such figures typically reflect a mix of underlying medical vulnerability, delayed treatment, and gaps in vaccination coverage.
While the CDC noted that overall activity had decreased or stabilized for stretches earlier in the month, the agency continues to monitor for another wave of increased influenza activity that can occur after winter holidays, as travel and school schedules shift.
CDC continues to emphasize that vaccination can reduce the risk of severe outcomes and that antiviral medications are available for treatment, particularly for people at higher risk of complications. Because influenza, COVID-19 and RSV can circulate simultaneously, clinicians and families are being advised to take respiratory symptoms seriously and seek care when warning signs appear.
Taken together, the latest surveillance suggests the 2025–26 flu season is not only widespread but also unusually punishing for children—an assessment that is likely to influence school and pediatric care messaging through the remainder of winter.