The United States is facing an unusually severe flu season this year. Hospitalization rates are higher than what we’ve seen in some waves of Covid-19. Doctors are concerned as many patients are suffering from serious complications related to the flu.

Rising Cases of Severe Flu Complications

The number of severe flu-related complications is alarmingly high. Children, in particular, are facing dangerous neurological conditions. Doctors are reporting more cases of acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), a severe condition that causes brain swelling and can result in tissue death. This condition affects the thalamus, the part of the brain that controls wakefulness. As a result, children become extremely drowsy and have trouble staying awake. Tragically, nearly half of the children with ANE do not survive.

Meanwhile, adults are dealing with a different set of serious issues. Doctors are seeing a rise in flesh-eating bacterial pneumonia, caused by a strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Dr. John Lynch, an expert in infectious diseases at UW Medicine, calls this condition “necrotizing pneumonia” because it destroys lung tissue. Survivors of this condition may suffer from lasting lung scarring that makes normal activities, like walking or climbing stairs, much harder.

These severe complications are partly due to the large number of people getting sick with the flu. Social media posts from critical care nurses highlight how busy intensive care units are right now. Nurses report that many patients, particularly in their 40s, are facing pneumonia and respiratory failure due to the flu. Some even compare this flu season to the Delta wave of Covid-19.

Flu Hospitalization Rates Surpass Covid-19

According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu hospitalization rate for the week ending February 1, 2025, hit 14.4 per 100,000 people. This surpasses hospitalization rates seen during the peak of the Delta Covid-19 wave in 2021. While flu hospitalizations are still lower than during the Omicron wave of 2022, this is the first flu season where the cumulative hospitalization rates for the flu have exceeded those of Covid-19.

So far, there have been 64 flu hospitalizations per 100,000 people, compared to 44 per 100,000 for Covid-19. The difference is clear: this season, flu hospitalizations have outpaced Covid-19 hospitalizations by a significant margin. In fact, last year, Covid-19 hospitalizations more than doubled flu hospitalizations.

Even more concerning, flu-related deaths have surpassed those of Covid-19. The CDC reports 1,302 flu deaths in the last two weeks of January, compared to 1,066 deaths from Covid-19 during the same period.

Neurological Complications in Children Raise Alarm

Doctors are especially worried about the rise in neurological complications in children. Dr. Keith Van Haren, a pediatric neurologist at Stanford Medicine, has noticed a sharp increase in cases of ANE. Although cases of ANE are not required to be reported to public health agencies, the rise in such cases is alarming. Hospital reports indicate that ANE cases have increased significantly over the past two flu seasons.

Other neurological complications, such as seizures, are also on the rise in children with the flu. While it’s unclear if these complications are occurring at higher rates than usual, doctors agree that an increase in flu activity often leads to more severe complications.

Hospitals Struggle to Keep Up

Hospitals are having a tough time keeping up with the influx of flu patients. Dr. Ryan Maves, a critical care expert at Wake Forest University, compared this flu season to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Many hospitals are operating at full capacity, and some patients require advanced treatments like ECMO, which takes over heart and lung functions.

Two strains of influenza A—H1N1 and H3N2—are spreading at nearly equal rates this year. Usually, one strain tends to dominate the season, making this year’s flu season especially challenging.

The Importance of Vaccination

Despite the seriousness of this flu season, doctors continue to stress the importance of getting vaccinated. Unfortunately, fewer than half of both adults and children have received their flu shots this year. Around 44% of adults have been vaccinated, a figure that has remained steady over the years. However, flu vaccination rates for children have dropped. In 2020, about 58% of children received the flu vaccine, but that number has fallen to just 44% this year.

This drop in vaccinations is concerning, especially as flu deaths have already reached alarming numbers. So far, 57 children have died from the flu, and most of these children were unvaccinated. The flu vaccine is not only important for reducing the risk of infection, but it also helps reduce the severity of the illness if you do get sick.

How to Protect Yourself

If you haven’t already gotten your flu shot, there is still time to do so. Dr. Buddy Creech from Vanderbilt University Medical Center emphasizes that it takes about a week for the body to develop an immune response after receiving the vaccine. Flu activity is expected to remain high for at least another month, and it’s possible that influenza B may cause a late-season surge.

While the flu vaccine may not prevent illness entirely, it can significantly reduce the severity of symptoms and lower the risk of serious complications. In addition to getting vaccinated, you can also take other precautions. Improve indoor air quality by ventilating your space, wash your hands frequently, and wear a high-quality mask in crowded places.

Flu home tests are available at many pharmacies. Early diagnosis can lead to timely treatment with antiviral medications, which may reduce the risk of severe complications.

Dr. Jennifer Nayak, from the University of Rochester Medical Center, reminds us that the precautions we took for Covid-19 also apply to the flu. By taking simple steps like getting vaccinated and practicing good hygiene, we can help protect ourselves and others during this particularly harsh flu season.

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