Health

Early flu season hits Ohio as aggressive H1N1 strain drives cases up

Dayton, Ohio • November 7, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

A nurse in scrubs giving a flu shot to a patient in a bright clinic room

Photo: Bassett Healthcare Network

Flu season is off to an early and fast start in Ohio, with an H1N1 strain driving a rise in respiratory illness across the state, health officials said — part of a nationwide surge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is running weeks ahead of a normal year.

The Ohio Department of Health said all respiratory illnesses are trending upward across the state, and that H1N1 is leading the current wave of cases, causing high fevers and other flu-like symptoms in some patients, WHIO TV reported Friday. In Montgomery County, health officials said the season could be hitting harder if not for people getting their flu shots.

The early wave is already disrupting classrooms. Springfield Sports Academy canceled classes on Friday because of an abundance of illness among students, giving the building time to be disinfected. It was not immediately clear what illnesses were involved.

There is one encouraging sign in the Dayton area: Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County said flu hospitalizations in the region are at a five-year average low, and officials credit that dip to people getting vaccinated. Health officials note that it takes about two weeks for a flu shot to take full effect.

Nationally, the CDC said Friday that flu levels were “higher than typically observed at this time of year” and continued to climb in many parts of the country. The agency estimated that more than 1.7 million people had contracted influenza by the week ending October 31 — 70% more than the previous week's estimate. An estimated 25,000-plus people had been hospitalized with flu, up 56% in a week, and about 1,400 people had died after developing a flu infection, up 55%.

Flu activity increased across 26 states in the latest reporting week, including Ohio. Louisiana and South Carolina are now reporting high flu activity, while five other states — Washington, California, Texas, Florida and Oregon — are reporting moderate levels. A week earlier, only three states had reported moderate or high activity. The weekly flu hospitalization rate rose to 2.5 per 100,000 people, up from 1.8 the week before, and two flu-associated deaths among children have been reported so far this season.

The early nationwide increase has been associated with H1N1, the influenza strain behind the 2009 flu pandemic, which sickened 60 million people in the United States and caused more than 240,000 hospitalizations. Experts say H1N1 is responsible for most cases this year and has developed a new mutation known as G155E, which could help the virus evade existing immunity — though there is no evidence it produces more severe illness. H1N1 was last the leading strain during the 2023–2024 flu season. CDC officials have stressed that an earlier flu season does not necessarily mean the season will be more severe than previous years.

Flu typically begins circulating in October, peaks between December and February and fades through May. This year, however, CDC data showed activity already rising during the week ending August 8 and climbing ever since — an unusually early start. By comparison, flu activity was so low at this point last year that health officials had not yet released estimates; the first estimate came for the week ending November 15, when more than 650,000 illnesses were believed to have occurred. Cases did not reach this week's level until the end of that month.

Health officials are urging Americans to get their flu vaccine as soon as possible. Estimates indicate vaccination reduces the risk of infection by about 34% and hospitalization by about 30%, though protection varies from year to year. The vaccine is recommended for everyone aged six months and older and is generally covered by health insurance. Adults over 65, young children and people with underlying health conditions face a greater risk of severe flu complications. Last year's season was especially severe: the CDC recorded at least 32 million flu cases, about 390,000 hospitalizations and 24,000 deaths in the 2025–2026 respiratory season.

Sources: WHIO TV, “Aggressive H1N1 flu strain drives rising respiratory cases across Ohio” (Nov 6, 2026); U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, FluView and weekly flu estimates, as reported by the Daily Mail (Nov 6, 2026).