Posted on 01/20/26
| News Source: Maryland Matters
Baltimore, MD - Jan. 20, 2026 - As quickly as it arrived, state health data shows that Maryland may now be on a downward trend of a “severe” influenza surge occurring over the winter holidays and early January.
But public health officials say now is not the time for Marylanders to let up on protective measures and public health practices, as the season is not over yet. There have already been 14 flu-related deaths in Maryland so far this year, already doubling last year’s death toll, with weeks left in the current flu season. Last year’s season did not peak until February.
“We’re seeing a bad flu season,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.
“It’s not too late to get your flu shot…. People who are symptomatic should not go to work or school, they should stay home,” he said. “And then you do all the other things — washing your hands frequently and wearing a mask when you’re around others and have symptoms.”
Early in the flu season, which starts in the late fall, public health officials and health researchers warned that an emerging variant of influenza called subclade K was behind significant surges in flu cases across the world and would have similar impacts in the United States.
The current vaccine formula for the 2025-26 flu season is not as effective against troublesome flu variant, leading to greater transmission this year.
“We are seeing a more severe flu season than we traditionally have,” Benjamin said. “And the vaccine, while certainly effective, is not as great a match as it could have been.”
Benjamin also said that messaging from the Trump administration is stoking confusion around the efficacy and safety of vaccines, leading to reduced vaccination rates.