Source Article – CDC projects moderate flu season: What to know

The CDC recently published its outlook for the upcoming flu season, projecting that it will be “moderate” and very similar to the 2024-2025 season.

• The 2024-2025 season was among the most severe since 2010, with a hospitalization rate of 127.1 per 100,000 people. 
• 47 million illnesses
• 21 million healthcare visits
• 28,000 deaths

The CDC also reported that the flu vaccine was 50.4% effective at preventing outpatient visits and 49.7% effective at preventing hospitalizations.  (why does that seem backwards to me?)  These effectiveness figures are based on the flu season in the Southern Hemisphere which runs April – September.

2025-2026 influenza vaccine recommendation changes:

Four updates to the 2024–25 recommendations are presented in this report. These include three FDA-approved labeling changes and a new recommendation approved through discussion at the June 2025 ACIP meeting.

1. In March 2025, FDA issued recommendations for the antigenic composition of 2025–26 U.S.-approved influenza vaccines (10).
2. In September 2024, FDA approved FluMist (LAIV3) for self-administration (for recipients aged 18 through 49 years) or administration by a caregiver aged ≥18 years (for children and adolescents aged 2 through 17 years). FluMist for self-administration or caregiver administration is anticipated to become available during the 2025–26 season (11).
3. In March 2025, FDA expanded approval of Flublok (RIV3), previously approved for persons aged ≥18 years, to children and adolescents aged 9 through 17 years. Flublok is now approved for persons aged ≥9 years (12).
4. On June 26, 2025, ACIP made a new recommendation that children aged ≤18 years, pregnant women, and all adults receive seasonal influenza vaccines only in single-dose formulations that are free of thimerosal as a preservative.

Let’s hope that more Americans choose to get the flu vaccine this flu season.  In the 2023-2024 season only ~33% of adults 18-49 opted to get vaccinated.