• Lots of doctor visits for respiratory illnesses, though not really out of line.

• Do more people seek medical attention when they hear there is a very dangerous flu going around?

https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2025-week-51.html

According to these data from ILI Net, respiratory illnesses are increasing, but nothing crazy here.

This chart is usually very dark red most years, and it has gotten much redder since last week. My impression is that this represents state health departments reporting. ILI stands for “influenza-like illness” which includes colds, and does not represent lab-determined influenza.

Hospitalizations for lab-diagnosed flu are increasing, but roughly comparable to the past 3 years.

Pediatric deaths associated with flu are rising but remain less than they were at this point during the past three years.