Emergency rooms are seeing a sharp jump in flu patients<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 17, 2025 (HealthDay News) \u2014 Flu season is getting an early start in New York City, with doctors reporting a sharp jump in cases weeks sooner than normal.<\/p>\n
Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> (CDC) shows that New York City and nearby areas such as Long Island and northern New Jersey had some of the nation\u2019s highest levels of flu-like illness as of early December.<\/p>\n City health officials say flu infections are climbing quickly.<\/p>\n New York City\u2019s acting health commissioner, Dr. Michelle Morse<\/a>, urged people to get vaccinated and take precautions if they feel sick.<\/p>\n She said flu cases are \u201cskyrocketing\u201d in the nation\u2019s largest city.<\/p>\n Poly Prep Country Day School, a private prep school in Brooklyn, closed its Dyker Heights campus, which serves nearly 900 middle and high school students, after roughly one-third of students were ill over just a few days, school officials said.<\/p>\n The closure allowed staff to conduct an \u201cintensive disinfection” of the building before reopening, school spokeswoman Jennifer Slomack<\/a> told The New York Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n Experts say the flu strain spreading this season, known as H3N2, has changed in ways that may help it dodge parts of the immune system.<\/p>\n That could make this year\u2019s flu shot less protective than in some seasons, though early data<\/a> from the U.K. suggests that the vaccine can still help prevent serious illness and hospital stays.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s earlier and faster this year, and the trajectory is much quicker than usual,\u201d Dr. Bruce Farber<\/a>, chief of public health and epidemiology at Northwell Health in Manhasset, N.Y., told The Times.<\/em><\/p>\n Emergency rooms across New York City are already feeling the impact.<\/p>\n During one week in late November, the number of ER patients diagnosed with flu jumped from 0.6% to 1.6%, then rose again to 3.4% the following week, according to city health data.<\/p>\n Last flu season was one of the worst in recent years, and this season may be following a similar path.<\/p>\n By the end of November, New York City had already recorded more than 10,000 lab-confirmed flu cases, a level that wasn\u2019t reached until late December last year.<\/p>\n Statewide, more than 3,000 people have been hospitalized with the flu so far, nearly 10% of last season\u2019s total.<\/p>\n Vaccination rates remain low. About 22% of New Yorkers outside the city have received a flu shot this season. In New York City, just over 25% of children ages 6 months and older are vaccinated, a 6.5% drop compared with the same time last year, health officials said.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n The Mayo Clinic has more on the flu<\/a>.<\/p>\n