This Flu Season Is Worst In A Decade

February 21, 2025
Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

The current flu season is shaping up to be the worst in a decade.

So far, there have been at least 29 million illnesses and 370,000 hospitalizations related to the flu -- the most since the 2015-2016 season, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) weekly flu report.

There have also been 16,000 deaths caused by the flu, the CDC says.

“Just recently, for the first time this year, flu deaths have surpassed COVID deaths,” Dr. Lauren Siewny, medical director of the Duke University Emergency Department in Durham, N.C., told HealthDay TV.

There are a few reasons for why this season has been so bad, she said.

“Some of it may be some lingering effects from the COVID pandemic -- that we're just starting to see folks out and about more and spreading communicable disease,” Siewny said.

“I think some of it is just that it's peaking late this year, and so it's really feeling like it's dragging out that winter season,” she added. “Everyone that I know feels like they've had some sort of viral illness in the last month.”

However, Siewny thinks that the flu season has now reached its peak, and cases should start subsiding soon.

“We have hit the peak, at least in this area. It looks like the peak was around the first week of February,” Siewny said. “Again, that's a little later than last year. Last year was more around the holidays time.”

How bad the season has been varies depending where you live, Siewny added.

“Actually, compared to last year, we have had fewer hospitalizations,” Siewny said of her region, in central North Carolina. “Some of it is how you define how busy the flu season is. If you look at hospitalizations, those are a little bit down from last year. But if you look at overall emergency department visits, those have been high.”

Even though the season might have peaked, Siewny still recommends getting the flu vaccine if you haven’t already.

“It is absolutely not too late. We still recommend it,” Siewny said. “The flu vaccine is the best protection we have, particularly at preventing those hospitalizations in the folks who are more susceptible to influenza complications, such as the elderly, the immunocompromised and very young children.”

She also recommends that people get prompt treatment for the flu, which now can include antiviral drugs that are likely to shorten a person’s illness.

“There's absolutely a window,” Siewny said. “If you think you have the flu, if you test positive for the flu, and you're in one of those conditions that would be potentially susceptible to severe disease, we really want to get that medication started within the first 48 hours.”

Likewise, people should head to the ER if they develop severe symptoms, she added.

“The things that we really want to see in the emergency department are shortness of breath -- that is going to be the number one for us every time -- confusion, severe dehydration, chest pain,” Siewny said. “Those are the things that I would kind of bypass urgent care and come to the emergency department for evaluation.”

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about influenza.

SOURCES: Dr. Lauren Siewny, medical director, Duke University Emergency Department, Durham, N.C.; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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