The flu season in the United States has turned severe, with hospitals facing an overwhelming number of admissions. Doctors report that some hospitals are more crowded now than during peak Covid-19 waves. Many patients are suffering from serious flu complications, leaving emergency rooms stretched beyond capacity.
Hospitals Overwhelmed by Flu Admissions
Medical professionals across the country have noticed a rise in life-threatening flu-related conditions. Children are arriving at hospitals with alarming neurologic complications, such as acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), a rare but severe brain swelling disorder that destroys tissue. Meanwhile, adults are being diagnosed with pneumonia caused by flesh-eating bacteria, an unexpected and deadly development.
Dr. John Lynch, an infectious disease expert at UW Medicine, has reported an increase in severe MRSA pneumonia cases following influenza. This bacterial infection damages lung tissue and is resistant to many antibiotics, making treatment difficult. Survivors of this infection often experience long-term lung scarring, leading to persistent breathing difficulties.
Bacterial pneumonia is a common complication of the flu, especially in older adults. Physicians believe this season’s high infection rate is a major factor in the increased cases of pneumonia. Intensive care units nationwide are filled with flu patients suffering from respiratory failure, putting immense pressure on hospital staff.
Social Media Highlights the Severity of the Crisis
Nurses and doctors have taken to social media to share their experiences. One nurse in Maryland described the crisis on Reddit, writing, “We’re seeing so many people in their 40s just completely wrecked by the flu.” Another nurse from the Pacific Northwest compared the current situation to the devastating Delta Covid wave in 2021.
CDC data supports these reports. For the week ending February 1, the flu hospitalization rate reached 14.4 per 100,000 people, surpassing the peak hospitalization rate for Covid-19 during the Delta wave. This marks the first flu season where cumulative flu hospitalizations have exceeded Covid admissions.
So far, 64 out of every 100,000 people have been hospitalized for flu-related complications, compared to 44 per 100,000 for Covid-19. Last season, Covid hospitalizations were more than double that of the flu. For the first time, flu deaths have surpassed Covid deaths, with 1,302 flu-related fatalities reported in late January compared to 1,066 from Covid.
Children Face Alarming Neurological Risks
Pediatric specialists are particularly concerned about an increase in cases of ANE in children. Dr. Keith Van Haren, a pediatric immuno-neurologist at Stanford Medicine, recently reached out to the International Society for Infectious Diseases to gather more data on this rare condition. He and his colleagues have seen a troubling rise in cases this season.
Because ANE is not a reportable disease, tracking its prevalence is difficult. However, Van Haren and Dr. Andrew Silverman have heard reports of 35 to 40 cases across university hospitals over the past two flu seasons. Most of these cases occurred in the current season. “There’s something happening,” Van Haren said. “This is really unusual.”
ANE causes severe swelling in the brain, which can be fatal. It damages the thalamus, the brain’s sleep and wakefulness regulator. Affected children struggle to stay awake and show signs of extreme drowsiness. Van Haren compares the condition to inflating a balloon inside a rigid box—eventually, the pressure becomes too much, leading to irreversible damage.
Some experts have speculated that ANE cases could be linked to bird flu, but Van Haren dismisses this theory. While the H5N1 bird flu strain has infected humans in multiple states, most cases involve farm workers. Dr. James Antoon from Vanderbilt University confirmed that his hospital has seen one case of ANE this year.
Doctors have also observed an increase in flu-related seizures in children. While it is unclear whether these numbers are significantly higher than previous flu seasons, experts remain concerned. Typically, flu-related seizures occur in about four out of 10,000 children under five, and encephalopathy cases appear in one per 100,000. Given the high number of flu cases this year, even rare complications are affecting a significant number of children.
Hospitals Overwhelmed with Flu Patients
Dr. Ryan Maves of Wake Forest University School of Medicine compared the intensity of this flu season to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. “The hospital is full,” he said. “We’re not putting people in the parking lot yet, but we are seeing things we haven’t seen in years.”
Some flu patients require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a machine that temporarily takes over heart and lung functions to allow the body to recover. Dr. Buddy Creech, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, noted that this flu season is unique due to the simultaneous spread of two influenza A strains, H1N1 and H3N2. “Usually, one strain dominates,” he said, “but right now, it’s a 50/50 split.”
Flu vaccination rates remain a significant concern. Only 44% of adults have received a flu shot this season, a number that has not changed in recent years. Vaccine coverage for children has declined even further, dropping from 58% before the pandemic to 44% this year.
The flu has already claimed the lives of 57 children in the U.S. “That’s relatively high for this time of year,” Dr. Jennifer Nayak from the University of Rochester Medical Center said. The vast majority of children who died from flu complications were unvaccinated. Dr. Creech emphasized that flu kills between 100 and 150 children annually, even in mild seasons. “It’s tragic because we have a vaccine that could prevent severe cases,” he said.
Doctors are also seeing cases of reinfection. Some patients recover from one flu strain only to catch another within weeks. “Immunity to one strain doesn’t protect against the other,” Creech warned. “That’s why getting vaccinated is so important.”
How to Protect Yourself from the Flu
If you have not yet received a flu shot, there is still time. “Getting vaccinated now will boost your immune response within a week to 10 days,” Dr. Creech explained. Experts expect the flu season to remain intense for at least another month, with the possibility of a secondary peak caused by influenza B in the spring.
Early reports suggest that this year’s flu vaccine may be more effective against H1N1 than H3N2. However, doctors stress that even partial protection can prevent severe illness and hospitalization.
In addition to vaccination, other preventive measures can help reduce flu risk. Improving indoor air quality, washing hands frequently, and wearing high-quality masks in crowded places can lower the chances of infection. Rapid flu tests are available at many pharmacies, and antiviral medications work best when taken within the first 48 hours of symptom onset.
“All the same precautions we took for Covid apply to the flu,” Nayak said. Taking these steps now can help protect you and your loved ones from severe illness.
For more updates on flu season and public health developments, visit New York Mirror.
