Flu season starts early: 7 states report high activity, up from 2 a week ago

The U.S. flu season is starting earlier than usual and is picking up speed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the federal public health agency, posted its latest update on Friday. It said seven states reported high flu activity last week, up from two states the week before ¹.

The states at the high level are California, Louisiana, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington ¹. More than 3% of doctors' office visits last week were for flu-like illness, a sign that flu season is underway ¹.

What the numbers show

The CDC estimates that at least 2.6 million illnesses, 36,000 hospitalizations and 2,100 deaths so far this season are tied to flu ¹. Early activity is higher than usual for this point in the year. The CDC says that does not necessarily mean this season will be worse than others ¹.

There is one worrying sign. Dr. Anna Durbin of Johns Hopkins University said the flu hospitalization rate in mid-October was the highest seen so early in an autumn in more than 15 years ¹.

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Last winter's flu season surged in late December. New York City health officials called it the most intense season in 20 years ¹. The CDC later estimated at least 32 million illnesses, 380,000 hospitalizations and 24,000 deaths from that season ¹.

What doctors say to do

Dr. Fred Lopez, an infectious diseases specialist at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, said flu season is taking off in a direction that is likely to increase over the next month or two ¹. His advice was direct ¹.

If you haven’t been vaccinated, you should get vaccinated now

Doctors should not vaccinate people who currently have significant symptoms, because the body's immune system is otherwise busy. But people should still get a flu shot even if they already had flu this fall. The vaccine protects against three kinds of flu virus, and more than one strain often circulates in a season, Lopez said ¹.

Timing matters. A shot does not protect right away. Dr. Ammar Husan of LSU Health, speaking to a Louisiana TV station, said the body needs time to respond ².

You have to build up that immunity for at least one and a half to two weeks.

Doctors expect flu and other respiratory viruses to spread faster as people travel and gather for Thanksgiving later this month ¹. Dr. Nicole Iovine, an infectious disease specialist affiliated with the University of Florida, said getting vaccinated is especially important before holiday gatherings ¹.

Is this year's vaccine a good match?

Most illnesses so far are caused by a version of an A H1N1 flu virus. It has mutations that could help it slip past the immune system more easily ¹. Andrew Pekosz, an immunology expert at Johns Hopkins, said early data suggest the current vaccine can recognize the circulating virus and work against it ¹.

Health officials will not know for months how well this year's vaccine works. Pekosz said that “right now there is no cause for concern” ¹.

If you get sick

Husan said not every case needs an emergency room. A primary care doctor or urgent care clinic can test and treat flu ². He said antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu work best when started early, ideally within about 48 hours and up to about five days ². They can reduce severity and shorten the illness ².

Husan also advised staying home for at least 24 hours after a fever ends ². Louisiana is often among the first states to see flu surges. Lopez said that is partly because of low vaccination rates, high poverty rates and difficulty getting health care ¹.

That matters for readers because the window to get protected before Thanksgiving is short. If a shot takes one and a half to two weeks to build immunity, as Husan said, then waiting until after the holiday leaves a gap ².

The Record

1. Oct 15, 2026Flu hospitalization rate in mid-October was the highest seen that early in an autumn in more than 15 years, a Johns Hopkins doctor said ¹.
2. Nov 6, 2026Two states reported high flu activity in the CDC's weekly data the week before the latest update ¹.
3. Nov 13, 2026The CDC reported seven states with high flu activity, and at least 2.6 million illnesses, 36,000 hospitalizations and 2,100 deaths so far this season ¹.

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<h2>Flu season starts early: 7 states report high activity, up from 2 a week ago</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Kitchen-Table Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/flu-season-starts-early-7-states-report-high-activity-up-from-2-a-week-ago">The GOP Files</a> on Saturday, November 14, 2026.</em></p> <p>The U.S. flu season is starting earlier than usual and is picking up speed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the federal public health agency, posted its latest update on Friday. It said seven states reported high flu activity last week, up from two states the week before .</p> <p>The states at the high level are California, Louisiana, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington . More than 3% of doctors&#39; office visits last week were for flu-like illness, a sign that flu season is underway .</p> <h2>What the numbers show</h2> <p>The CDC estimates that at least 2.6 million illnesses, 36,000 hospitalizations and 2,100 deaths so far this season are tied to flu . Early activity is higher than usual for this point in the year. The CDC says that does not necessarily mean this season will be worse than others .</p> <p>There is one worrying sign. Dr. Anna Durbin of Johns Hopkins University said the flu hospitalization rate in mid-October was the highest seen so early in an autumn in more than 15 years .</p> <p>Last winter&#39;s flu season surged in late December. New York City health officials called it the most intense season in 20 years . The CDC later estimated at least 32 million illnesses, 380,000 hospitalizations and 24,000 deaths from that season .</p> <h2>What doctors say to do</h2> <p>Dr. Fred Lopez, an infectious diseases specialist at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, said flu season is taking off in a direction that is likely to increase over the next month or two . His advice was direct .</p> <blockquote><p>If you haven’t been vaccinated, you should get vaccinated now</p><p>&mdash; Fred Lopez, infectious diseases specialist, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans</p></blockquote> <p>Doctors should not vaccinate people who currently have significant symptoms, because the body&#39;s immune system is otherwise busy. But people should still get a flu shot even if they already had flu this fall. The vaccine protects against three kinds of flu virus, and more than one strain often circulates in a season, Lopez said .</p> <p>Timing matters. A shot does not protect right away. Dr. Ammar Husan of LSU Health, speaking to a Louisiana TV station, said the body needs time to respond .</p> <blockquote><p>You have to build up that immunity for at least one and a half to two weeks.</p><p>&mdash; Ammar Husan, doctor, LSU Health</p></blockquote> <p>Doctors expect flu and other respiratory viruses to spread faster as people travel and gather for Thanksgiving later this month . Dr. Nicole Iovine, an infectious disease specialist affiliated with the University of Florida, said getting vaccinated is especially important before holiday gatherings .</p> <h2>Is this year&#39;s vaccine a good match?</h2> <p>Most illnesses so far are caused by a version of an A H1N1 flu virus. It has mutations that could help it slip past the immune system more easily . Andrew Pekosz, an immunology expert at Johns Hopkins, said early data suggest the current vaccine can recognize the circulating virus and work against it .</p> <p>Health officials will not know for months how well this year&#39;s vaccine works. Pekosz said that “right now there is no cause for concern” .</p> <h2>If you get sick</h2> <p>Husan said not every case needs an emergency room. A primary care doctor or urgent care clinic can test and treat flu . He said antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu work best when started early, ideally within about 48 hours and up to about five days . They can reduce severity and shorten the illness .</p> <p>Husan also advised staying home for at least 24 hours after a fever ends . Louisiana is often among the first states to see flu surges. Lopez said that is partly because of low vaccination rates, high poverty rates and difficulty getting health care .</p> <p>That matters for readers because the window to get protected before Thanksgiving is short. If a shot takes one and a half to two weeks to build immunity, as Husan said, then waiting until after the holiday leaves a gap .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/flu-season-starts-early-7-states-report-high-activity-up-from-2-a-week-ago">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/flu-season-starts-early-7-states-report-high-activity-up-from-2-a-week-ago.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. AP via Courthouse News, “The US flu season is off to a very early start. It's hitting the South and West now” (2026-11-14). courthousenews.com/the-us-flu-season-is-off-to-a-very-early-
2. KNOE/KSLA, “Louisiana leads nation in flu activity, CDC map shows” (2026-11-12). knoe.com/2026/11/13/louisiana-leads-nation-flu-activity-cdc-

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