CDC Weekly Report: Flu Admissions Jump 27% in a Week to 6,100, and the Season's First Pediatric Flu Death Is Reported
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its latest FluView weekly influenza report on October 30, covering the week ending October 24. Seasonal flu activity remains low nationally but is increasing in many parts of the country and is higher than typically observed at this time of year. Hospitals reported 6,100 laboratory-confirmed flu admissions, up 27 percent from 4,811 the week before.
In the CDC's FluSurv-NET hospitalization network, the observed weekly rate was 1.3 per 100,000 people; after adjusting for reporting delays, the CDC estimates the true rate at between 1.9 and 2.5 per 100,000, the highest for Week 42 since the 2010-11 season. Of the influenza A viruses subtyped by public health laboratories, 98.9 percent were A(H1N1)pdm09.
The report also records the first influenza-associated pediatric death of the 2026-27 season. The child died during the week ending October 10, in a death associated with an H1N1 virus, and the case was reported this week after investigation. Another pediatric death reported this week occurred during the previous season, bringing the 2025-26 season's pediatric death total to 199.
The CDC estimates that so far this season there have been at least 1 million flu illnesses, 16,000 hospitalizations and 900 deaths in the United States. The agency cautions that an earlier-than-usual rise does not necessarily lead to a higher seasonal peak or greater overall severity, and that current data cannot yet predict how severe this season will be.
The CDC recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone aged six months and older, with rare exceptions, and advises people at higher risk who develop flu symptoms to contact a health care provider promptly about antiviral treatment.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 一名儿童在诊所接种流感疫苗（资料图）。美国海军 Emily McCamy 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A child receives a flu shot at a clinic (file photo). U.S. Navy photo by Emily McCamy, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
