Western Flu Cases Jump 15-Fold in September as Doctors Urge Shots Now

2 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 4

Seattle Children’s logged about 150 pediatric flu cases in the past two weeks, versus about 10 a year earlier, a surge doctors say usually does not arrive until early December.
Washington, Alaska, California and Hawaii are also reporting sharply higher flu-test positivity, and Southern Nevada recorded its first flu death of the season — a man in his 50s with underlying conditions.
CDC data still show low national flu activity, but its outbreak center estimated as of Sept. 30 that infections were growing or likely growing in 48 states, even as officials warn it is too early to judge season severity.
Experts say the cause of the early Western spike is unclear; early Washington surveillance shows H1N1 predominating after last season’s H3N2 wave, which may have left less recent immunity.
Flu vaccines for 2026-27 are already widely available and take about two weeks to build protection, yet the CDC has not launched a broad public campaign this fall amid legal and policy turmoil over vaccination guidance.