SUPER VIRUS: Illnesses surge as more Americans report sickness symptoms
In this DML Report…
Experts are warning of a resurgence in the H3N2 subclade K influenza virus, known for causing longer and more severe symptoms, following a dip in cases last month.
CDC data for the week ending January 24, 2026, shows 18 percent of influenza tests were positive, an increase from 17.7 percent the prior week, with outpatient visits for respiratory illnesses rising from 4.4 percent to 4.7 percent. This strain accounts for 90 percent of H3N2 samples sequenced since September. Eight more children died from flu-related complications last week, bringing the season's total to 52 pediatric deaths.Six states are reporting very high flu activity: Missouri, Louisiana, Colorado, Texas, South Carolina, and Oregon. South Carolina is also dealing with a measles outbreak, with 847 cases since October 2025, including 20 among vaccinated individuals.
Dr. Caitlin Rivers, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, noted a second peak focused on school-age children, similar to last year's pattern, and expects it to spread to adults. Several schools have closed due to illness, including a one-day closure at Keota Community School District in Iowa, multiple days at Villa Duchesne Catholic School in Missouri for flu investigation, and a two-day shutdown at Moulton-Udell district in Iowa where 30 percent of students and staff were affected.
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Hospitalizations have decreased to 26.4 per 100,000 from 43.5, with 15,080 admissions down from 17,963, and pneumonia and influenza mortality dropped from 1.8 percent to 1.5 percent. Hospitals have implemented restrictions, such as visitor limits at Detroit Medical Center and reinstated masking in some New Jersey and New York facilities. The flu vaccine is estimated to be 30 to 75 percent effective this season, but fewer than half of Americans have received it. Health officials stress the continued risk to vulnerable populations, particularly children.