In our attempt to keep you informed about various winter infections, we rely upon official and unofficial data. To be perfectly frank, the picture is confusing. The report from the CDC for Flu Watch # 5 suggests that the Flu season may have peaked. Its laboratory testing system reports a downward trend in Flu viruses. That said, this federal agency is estimating that 18 million people have caught the flu and 230,000 patients have been hospitalized. It also states that we are nearing 10,000 deaths from the flu. Can we trust the numbers?
The CDC’s Reports Are
As I write this on the evening of January 22, the CDC’s FluView is dated January 16, 2026. But wait, it’s actually further behind. There is always a 1-week lag between when the data is collected and when it shows up on the CDC’s website. So, much of the FluView data published on January 23 were actually collected between January 11 and January 17. But wait, some of the CDC’s surveillance metrics are 2 to 4 weeks old. That seems to be true for hospitalizations.
Some experts challenge the CDC’s numbers. That’s because they believe the data are actually delayed by about two to three weeks. We may still be in the early stages of this influenza outbreak. Australia’s flu season started early and lasted a long time. In the US, February is often our peak month for flu.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated in its FluView report (1/16/2026) that:
- “Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally, but influenza activity has decreased or remained stable for two consecutive weeks.
- “The weekly influenza-associated hospitalization rate overall in FluSurv-Net peaked during Week 52 at 12.6 per 100,000 population. This is the second highest peak weekly rate overall since the 2010-2011 season. Notably, children younger than 18 years have the highest peak weekly hospitalization rate observed since the 2010-2011 season.
- “CDC’s in-season severity assessment framework classified the season as moderate across all ages.”
Flu Watch # 5 Remains Unsatisfying:
My crystal ball is murky. Checking local news reports from around the country I see reports of a lot of children hospitalized with this years “super flu” (aka subclade K). The CDC has classified children as experiencing high-severity influenza this season and adults moderate severity.
WastewaterSCAN Dashboard:
As I have mentioned before, I love WasteWaterScan.org. It actually monitors pathogens in sewage at 150 sites across the country. It does show influenza receding from Texas east to Virginia and Washington, DC. So…maybe the CDC is correct that influenza has peaked.
It will take another week or two before I am willing to say that this year’s influenza outbreak is really past on the downward slope. Until then, please keep checking in periodically to see what the People’s Pharmacy prediction is for coming weeks.
If you come down with the flu, consider contacting your health professional about an antiviral medicine. For reasons that mystify us, many American physicians have been unenthusiastic about drugs such as amantadine (Symmetrel) for decades. We first started writing about this medication over 40 years ago, long before there was oseltamivir (Tamiflu), baloxavir (Xofluza) or zanamivir (Relenza). Such antivirals only work if taken at the very earliest stage of infection. They can also help protect others in the household from coming down with influenza if taken prophylactically.
You may wish to read this article to learn more:
Protecting Yourself from the Flu with Tamiflu
This year’s flu shot may not work well against a new variant. Ask your doctor about protecting yourself from the flu with an antiviral drug.
Measles is a Mess!
I have written about measles in other Outbreak Updates. For example, on December 22, 2025 I wrote in Outbreak Update-1 that:
“2024 saw 285 confirmed cases. 2025 is different! We are approaching 2,000 confirmed cases across 43 states…the highest total in 30 years. South Carolina now has 114 confirmed cases over the last few weeks and more than 250 people have been quarantined.”
Fast Forward to 2026:
South Carolina is facing a rapid escalation in measles cases. According to CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy) on January 20, 2026:
“In the past week, South Carolina officials have confirmed 212 new measles cases, raising the state total to 646 and threatening to overtake last year’s West Texas outbreak as the largest in decades in the United States.
“There are currently 538 people in quarantine and 33 in isolation, the South Carolina Department of Public Health said today. Six schools have recent public exposures that have resulted in new quarantines.”
“The South Carolina outbreak is now the largest in the country and will likely surpass the 762-case West Texas outbreak that began one year ago today, putting the United States at risk of losing its measles elimination status. That outbreak was declared over in August 2025.”
While most cases have been seen among children, at least two university populations are experiencing cases. Both Clemson University and Anderson University are dealing with confirmed measles cases in the student body.
There are also cases being reported in North Carolina that may be linked to the South Carolina outbreak. Public health authorities point to vaccination rates below 90%, which is not enough to provide herd immunity for people unvaccinated against this extremely contagious and potentially dangerous disease.
Final Words:
What’s happening in your neck of the woods? Anybody catch flu or COVID over the last few weeks? What about a cold or any other upper respiratory illness. Please share your experience in the comment section below and let us know your general geographic location. Thank you for helping us stay up to date for Flu Watch # 5 and Outbreak Update # 4. With your help we can catch trends around the country.
