Last week we asked you, a loyal reader, if you wanted to receive “Outbreak Updates.” After everything we have been through over the last few years, we assumed that most people would be tired of additional reports about infectious diseases. To our surprise, though, we have received 193 requests for more information as I write this on December 18, 2025. As a result of these comments, here is Outbreak Update-2 from The People’s Pharmacy.
Good News and Bad News in Outbreak Update-2:
First, there is some relatively good news in this update. To refresh your memory, we requested that readers of our newsletter “share personal experience with infections this winter.” No, this data is not scientific. But it does provide a glimpse of what is happening across the country.
There was no tsunami of sickness reports from our readers. The overwhelming majority of the comments we received over the last few days were “thank you” and please keep providing updates.
That said, I was surprised to read quite a few reports of infections, especially in the last few days. Of the 193 messages, 12.4% were from readers who described a variety of outbreaks, from norovirus to influenza and COVID-19.
We will provide many of these reports at the bottom of this Outbreak Update-2 page so you can get a sense of what may be happening in the real world. Feel free to add your own report in the comment section of this newsletter. We absolutely want to hear from people who are not sick as well as those who are suffering.
The People’s Pharmacy Outbreak Update-2 Report:
As of Thursday, December 18, 2025
Subclade K Influenza is becoming worrisome:
We have been monitoring reports of surging flu cases from around the country. Last week’s FluView update from the CDC reports:
“Seasonal influenza activity continues to increase in most areas of the country. Some indicators are elevated but severity indicators remain low and flu season is just starting.”
I think the CDC is behind in its reporting. Its map shows New York, New Jersey, Louisiana and Colorado with a “high” flu activity level. Cases of flu are, according to the CDC, “moderate” in Idaho, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Michigan and Massachusetts. Everyplace else has “low” or “minimal” flu activity according to the CDC.
What are we gleaning from our review of the news around the country? Flu is surging in Hawaii. There are lots of calls for ambulance assistance from people with severe respiratory complaints. Emergency rooms there are reeling with patients suffering flu-like symptoms. Connecticut is reporting a surge of over 600% due to the new “super flu” Subclade K. Cases are climbing in Maine, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Puerto Rico. New York state went from 800 people hospitalized with influenza to 1,400 flu hospitalizations in a week. Get out your calculator. That is an impressive 75% increase in one week. The same week in 2024 “only” had 850 hospitalizations in the state of New York.
Norovirus is surging:
This vomiting bug is causing a great deal of misery in Southern California. Both Los Angeles and San Francisco are reporting unpleasant gastrointestinal outbreaks. Wastewater Scan is confirming that this virus is detectable at high levels in sewage in the Bay area.
The poop-tracing technology is also detecting this virus throughout the country. Starting with North Dakota and then working your way down to Kansas and proceeding east until you hit Maine, the WastewaterSCAN Dashborad reveals high activity for norovirus. Every place else has “medium” activity. Why not see for yourself. Here is a link to the “Dashboard.” Just click on the left hand pathogen box for Norovirus and check out the map.
States that have reported outbreaks include Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Indiana and Michigan. We are also seeing reports that South Carolina is being hit with the “winter vomiting disease.”
RSV has not taken off :
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) does not yet have us worried. Last week we suggested that viral activity for this pathogen was slowly rising. But as far as I can tell, this pathogen is not behaving badly. The WastewaterScan Dashboard reports “low” RSV activity throughout the country. So, some good news on that front.
Measles in South Carolina is Getting Worse!
Last week we reported that hundreds were quarantined in South Carolina. Since then, there were 27 new cases confirmed near Spartanburg, SC. The total number of people in quarantine has now topped 300. It gets worse. Arizona and Utah also have new cases of measles.
Lest you think this is just a southern and/or southwestern problem, Michigan, Iowa and Colorado are reporting new measles cases. Because it takes a week or two before symptoms show up after exposure, there could be a lot more cases coming. Last year there were 16 outbreaks (involving 3 or more people) in the US. So far this year there have been at 47 outbreaks and they are still climbing.
A lot of older people remember measles as a no-big-deal-infection. That’s a misnomer. It can have a profound impact on the immune system and leave many children vulnerable to other diseases for many months. Many kids experience bad bouts of diarrhea and quite a few develop ear infections. Pneumonia is also a serious risk.
COVID-19 is on the Rise:
We know that most people want to forget there was ever a pandemic. The “good’ news is that the WastewaterScan Dashboard reports “no trend in the last 21 days and medium concentration.” The bad news is that the upper mid-west from North Dakota to Ohio is reporting “high viral” activity. From Pennsylvania to Maine it is “just medium.” Since no one is actually tracking COVID anymore, we have no way of knowing precisely how many cases occurred last week.
Bottom Line from Outbreak Update-2 from The People’s Pharmacy:
Influenza, COVID-19 and norovirus seem to be the most active pathogens right now. Measles does not appear to represent a significant threat, but cases continue to spread. I fear that many parents believe that this disease is no big deal. That’s because a lot of older folks remember getting a rash when they were children and then getting over measles in about two weeks. But some kids experience serious complications from measles and have to be hospitalized. It’s not an infection to take for granted.
With flu, colds and COVID circulating simultaneously, we hope you will stay alert for any symptoms. Please do not spread whatever you catch.
What You Can Do:
Our advice has not changed much from last week.
- Practice basic hygiene & sanitation — Norovirus is nasty! Just a few particles of this virus can cause horrific vomiting and diarrhea. Frequent hand-washing (especially after using the bathroom or before eating), thorough cleaning of shared surfaces (especially during and after gatherings) and isolation of sick individuals until symptoms resolve are basic precautions. Wear a mask when using public restrooms since particles of norovirus could easily be circulating in the air and you do not want to breathe them in!
- Pay attention to local wastewater and public-health dashboards — if your town or county participates, a rising “viral activity level” can be an early warning. Encourage friends and family to check their state or county’s health-department site. Here is a link to WastewaterScan.
- Be prepared for overlapping illnesses — respiratory (flu/RSV/COVID/colds) and gastrointestinal (norovirus) viruses may circulate simultaneously, putting pressure on families, schools, childcare centers, and hospitals.
Outbreak Update-2 Produced No Dramatic Changes
We have seen an uptick in influenza. We expected that. We are worried that the next three weeks will be much worse because of holiday gatherings. We will do our best to keep you informed about the flu and other outbreaks in the coming weeks.
Stories from Readers Who Were Sick Last Week:
Below you will find short messages from readers. They took the time to share their experiences and we are posting them in this Outbreak Update-2.
These reports for Outbreak Update-2 are listed from most recent to the oldest which started on December 12, 2025:
Marian:
“In the past 2 weeks our family experienced what we’d describe as severe sinus colds. 24 hours of severe headache/fatigue followed by a day of continuous sneezing and nose-blowing. Then it tapered off over the next 3-4 days. Welcome to winter. ;/”
Lorraine:
“We are in Atlanta and my husband just tested positive for COVID today using the home test. Friend here in Atlanta recently had Norovirus. And grandchild in NYC recently had the flu and had a fever for a week.”
Karen:
“Our daughter and her fiancé both came down with COVID last week in St Louis, MO.”
Carol:
“My husband and I were exposed to the flu and got it over the weekend following Thanksgiving. We live in Ocean County, NJ, but most likely contracted it from visitors from North Jersey. My husband went to the doctor because he had a severe cough and congestion and was diagnosed with acute bronchitis. Several days later his lab test came back and it tested positive for the flu. I also got it, but it was not as severe as his turned out to be . (He got the flu shot earlier in the year, and I am unable to get the shot.) We are still dealing with the cough and fatigue 3 weeks later.”
Kay:
“I came down with Norovirus two days after Thanksgiving. Family visited Disneyland in LA on Friday and we took a nonstop flight from LAX to Raleigh, NC on Saturday. Symptoms started early Sunday morning with vomiting, headache, fever, and diarrhea. I quarantined in bedroom with private bathroom for 78 hours. I used paper plates and disposable beverage cups. Fortunately, no one else in family came down with the virus. Also talked to my family in Austin, TX and brother-in-law and his wife came down with COVID the day after Thanksgiving.”
Margaret:
“I had a virus the last 2 weeks of Nov., and the main symptoms were congestion, coughing, sneezing, and fatigue. I tested negative for COVID.”
Lorrie:
“At the moment I am ill and will be getting tested at my doctor’s office on Monday. When I have those results I will update y’all as to what I have. I live in upstate South Carolina.”
Ann:
“We are senior citizens in the Daytona Beach, FL area and have noticed many cases of people testing positive for flu. Haven’t heard much about covid lately, but most people returning from trips return with either a bad cold or the flu.”
Judy:
“My husband and I, in our upper 70s, both had COVID over Thanksgiving. We still are not totally over it. We live in central Indiana.”
Nedd:
“My wife is presently in a Maryland hospital with RSV even though we got RSV shots over two years ago.”
Don:
“A month ago, I was diagnosed with CAP – Community Acquired Pneumonia, after having gotten 4 different pneumonia shots over the last 10 years. The ER prescribed 2 different antibiotics for the pneumonia.”
Ashley:
“My daughter’s whole family is just recovering from an upper respiratory infection that was not flu or Covid, fit the description of RSV, but they didn’t test for that. They live in southeastern MA.”
Joe:
“Several of my friends in central Indiana have flu and some have covid at the present time.”
Kathryn:
“Four in our family ( 12, 43, 43, and 72 y o) are recovering from a mild virus. Sore throat and cough were the only symptoms. Lasted 2-4 days. Austin, TX”
Astrid:
“Very interested, some of my friends, my family and I have all suffered from flu like symptoms that hang around for weeks. Getting better, then starting again. Undiagnosed, unfazed by prescribed antibiotics.
I live in Florida.”
Linda:
“I’m very interested in virus updates. Also, I had flu starting on Thanksgiving evening . I’m still coughing. Via an electronic visit with my physician I received Tamiflu, which appeared to help. Still waiting for that Li cough to disappear though. It was the sickest I’ve been in decades.”
Kathi:
“On November 6th I was diagnosed with influenza Type A, several days after returning from the Caribbean. I reside in the Kansas City, Missouri area. “
Maggie:
“I currently have some sort of upper respiratory infection. I live in Clearwater, Fl.”
Peg:
“Reporting a friend near Portland, Maine in hospital last week, diagnosed with flu and pneumonia. Caught the virus on a Caribbean cruise.”
Marcia:
“After a Thanksgiving day dinner with 10 people attending, 4 came down with the flu. 2 children aged 12 and 2 adults in their forties. The children tested positive with an over the counter test kit. Only one adult had received the current flu vaccine and did not get sick. One child who had not been vaccinated did not get sick.
Middlesex county, Massachusetts”
Chris:
“We just found out that our daughter (30 yrs old) tested positive for the flu at an Urgent Care (N. Charleston, SC) last night (11 Dec 2025).
I myself, with a compromised immune system due to Cancer Treatments early this year (Cancer Free now), I came down with COVID at the end of August 2025.
Even though I had a mild case of Covid, it transistioned to Long Covid & I lost my sense of smell and taste that lasted until November (2025).”
Susan:
“Six of seven adults gathering at my house for Thanksgiving in North Carolina showed signs of gastrointestinal distress for a period of 24 hours per person. The first one to show symptoms had arrived from Atlanta the same day. The second one had arrived from Dallas the day prior. Two of us also developed lower respiratory issues simultaneously.”
Are you still interested in our Outbreak Updates? If so, we need your help!
How Can You Help With Outbreak Updates?
- First, please let us know if this information is worthwhile. Do you appreciate reading what other people are experiencing? We can only continue this initiative if enough people continue to be engaged. Let us know in the comment section below.
- Tell us if you have been sick recently. If you know of friends or family members who have been ill, we need to know that too. We also need to know if you have been well. That is the only way we can get a sense of what is happening. If need only be a quick response such as “Keep Outbreak Updates Coming…Not Sick!” or “Keep Outbreak Updates Coming…Suffering from XXX with the following symptoms!” or Forget about it…NOT interested!
- Please let us know your geographic area so we can track reader response, location and severity of illness.
- If you know what you or your friends came down with, please let us know. We are especially interested in results of over-the-counter flu and COVID tests. But if you get a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, please let us know what that was.
- Do you found the ads on this website annoying? We completely understand if you do. We wish we could eliminate all ads, but it is the only way we can keep this newsletter and website afloat. If you would like to eliminate website ads, please consider going ad-free. For $5/month (about the cost of a cup of coffee) you can eliminate ads while using this website! Here is a link.
What We Will Be Tracking in Future Outbreak Updates:
- Weekly updates from the national wastewater surveillance program and participating state dashboards.
- CDC updates from FluView. It saddens me that the CDC is so slow this year.
- Reports of school, daycare, or nursing-home outbreaks — especially if norovirus appears along with flu or RSV.
- Hospitalization and emergency-department admission trends, especially for children (with RSV) or older adults (with flu).
- Possible unusual flu-strain or animal-origin flu signals: because wastewater can detect non-human influenza A (e.g. from livestock or avian sources), public-health labs are increasingly monitoring for subtypes.
Thank you for supporting our work:
Your job, should you accept our challenge, is to:
- Let us know in the comment section below if you continue to be interested in Outbreak Updates.
- Tell us if you like the idea of people sharing their infection stories.
- Share your personal experience with or without infections this winter in your area.
- Provide updates from your friends and family and their locations.
- Offer reports from your community regarding school closings or other outbreaks due to infection.
One Final Request: If you found this Outbreak Update of value, please share it with friends and family. The only way we can keep this newsletter and website viable is if we continue to add readers like you. Thank you for supporting our work.
