Flu season surged in the US over the holiday and already rivals last winter’s harsh epidemic
January 5, 2026
U.S. flu infections are still surging, and health officials are calling it a severe season that is likely to get worse. New government data posted Monday shows that by some measures this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter. That was one of the harshest seasons in recent history. Forty-five states were reporting high or very high flu activity during the week of Christmas. That’s up from 30 states the week before. A new version of the flu virus — known as the subclade K variant — is accounting for many of the cases.