Kansas City is seeing a rise in flu cases this winter, mirroring a national surge tied to the so-called super flu.
Why it matters: An unprecedented rise in flu cases comes as other sicknesses, such as the “winter vomiting bug,” COVID and whooping cough, are slamming the country.
Driving the news: Flu cases remain elevated nationwide, according to the CDC.
- New data shows that there have been at least 7.5 million illnesses, 81,000 hospitalizations and 3,100 deaths from the flu so far this season.
Zoom in: Kansas City, Missouri, reported 1,060 flu cases from Dec. 21 to Dec. 27, according to the Missouri Department of Health. While the 2025–26 flu season started in early October, most of the city’s 1,936 cases this season were reported in recent weeks.
- Kansas City, Kansas, saw a large spike in flu-related visits, accounting for 12% of all emergency department visits during that same week, according to the Kansas Department of Health.
Zoom out: In the week ending Dec. 20, New York saw its highest number of flu cases ever reported in a single week, per the New York State Department of Health…