Following two seasons of unusually low flu activity, the 2022-2023 flu season was the deadliest in five years.
A total of 262 Washingtonians were reported to have died from the flu, including 257 adults and five children, which is a tenfold increase compared to the 2021-2022 flu season.
Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates as many as 640,000 flu hospitalizations and 57,000 flu deaths occurred between Oct. 1 – April 29, 2023.
In Washington state, flu activity rose at the end of October and peaked by the end of November. As of the end of April, there was only minimal flu activity.
