Arizona flu cases surge amid 'super flu' variant spread nationwide

'Super flu' on the rise in Arizona

Valley hospitals are seeing a significant surge in flu cases, as Arizona numbers spiked in the past week. FOX 10's Steve Nielsen learns more about this widespread A mutation of influenza a, called Subclade K. 

PHOENIX - According to the latest weekly spread data from the CDC, flu-like illnesses are hitting record highs as the season progresses.

Big picture view:

On the CDC's activity map, green indicates minimal activity, while red and purple signify high levels of spread. By the last week of 2025, data shows that no state has been spared from the surge.

The CDC currently estimates there have been 120,000 hospitalizations so far this season.

Local perspective:

Many parents at Phoenix urgent cares and pediatricians on Jan. 6 said they’ve already had the flu. But for the ones that haven’t, they know they need to be prepared because more than half of cases are between five and 17 years old.

Parents are preparing for what has been dubbed the super flu this year.

"My kids are homeschooled so not as much exposure," Tatum said, as she took her kids to a playground Tuesday afternoon. 

The fun is contagious, but flu is the real contagion.

What they're saying:

"Take our vitamins exercise everyday get the sun let our bodies get rest do what our bodies have to do," Tatum said. 

"Wash your hands more drink more water orange juice drink chicken soup. If you’re getting sick drink more chicken soup," Cherry, another parent, said. 

Why you should care:

"I believe this year is worse than the last few years," Samia Kadri, a Banner Urgent Care Nurse Practioner said. 

At Banner Urgent Care, they’ve seen it first hand. A mutation of influenza a called Subclade K has made this be the "super flu."

"The vaccine didn’t match 100% so there’s a lot of people that are being infected with it and again the vaccine helps decrease the severity of symptoms," Kadri said. 

By the numbers:

The numbers back that up. The Arizona Department of Health Services said there’s been 6,880 cases so far, but 2,286 in the last week— a 35.4% increase in just one week.

Dig deeper:

"Lot of kids are missing school now," Dr. Kam Sachdeva of Moon Valley Pediatrics said. 

At Moon Valley Pediatrics, they’re preparing for what’s the come.

"The trend is when the flu season starts and stays four to six weeks I think is going to come in the next couple of weeks," said Dr. Sachdeva. 

Symptoms of the flu include a high fever, body aches, extreme fatigue, sore throat and intense headaches. 

"Wash your hands frequently cover your face sneezing and coughing and get vaccinated especially if they’re young and going to school in a daycare center," he added.

What's next:

Experts said it’s hard to say when the surge will peak, until after the flu season, but there’s been a large increase clearly in just the last seven days.