US Flu Season Arrives Two Months Early, Colorado Reports First Child Death of 2026–27

The 2026–27 influenza season in the United States has launched with startling speed, alarming public health officials. Flu activity was rising in all 50 states as of October 7, 2026, with influenza A (H1N1pdm09) accounting for 97% of subtyped specimens. By the week ending October 3, hospitals reported 3,334 flu admissions nationally — up from just 1,133 in early September — and FluSurv-NET recorded 4,024 laboratory-confirmed hospitalisations through week 40 ending October 10. Washington state described October activity as 'Christmas-level.' The West Coast has been hardest hit in the early weeks. Eight influenza A(H1N1) viruses showed reduced susceptibility to oseltamivir (Tamiflu), raising early antiviral-resistance concerns. Colorado confirmed the season's first paediatric flu death: an elementary-aged child from outside the Denver metro area who had not received this season's vaccine. Colorado reported 46 flu hospitalisations by early October, compared to zero in the same period of the prior season. Officials note the prior 2025–26 season was itself record-breaking in Colorado, and waning population immunity may be amplifying the early surge. The CDC and state health departments are urging everyone aged six months and older to be vaccinated immediately rather than waiting for the traditional late-October window.