Buchanan County flu cases spike as U.S. reaches 15-year high

A potent flu season is packing another powerful punch for area residents with cases more than tripling in recent weeks, the latest spike amid record increases across the country.

Close to 480 influenza cases were reported in Buchanan County during the last two weeks of January alone according to a February report from Missouri Health and Senior Services, more than double the amount of active cases during the same time period last year.

Buchanan County is on pace to shatter the number of flu cases it saw in both 2023 and 2024. To put it in perspective, 3,176 flu cases in the first quarter alone have already surpassed what the county reported all of last year (2,779).

“Everybody was concerned about COVID and that was a big thing and everybody was getting vaccinated for quite a while,” said Kristi Billings, clinic supervisor with the St. Joseph Health Department. “Our numbers have kind of gone down on vaccinations. Not a huge amount, but we don’t see as many kids coming in to get vaccinated. And it spreads very quickly among kids.”

Buchanan County has the fourth most cases among Missouri counties this flu season, lagging slightly behind larger counties like St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Jackson County. But when comparing flu rates, Buchanan County recorded 1,254 cases per 100,000 residents, nearly double the rate of Jackson County.

Unlike last year when Missouri influenza cases were almost evenly split between Flu Type A and Type B, close to 98% of all cases thus far have involved the more aggressive Type A.

“We haven’t seen many B cases this year. So that’s a big difference,” Billings said. “With A, there’s a lot of coughing and so there’s a lot more spreading of the germs. Easier for them to be picked up and traveled with.”

The intensity of the 2025 flu season is being felt nationwide in record numbers, with flu cases reaching the highest level in 15 years according to a February report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Forty-four states are reporting the most severe, “very high” or “high” levels of flu cases, including Missouri, which registered a staggering 98% increase in cases during the last week of January.

Billings is encouraging residents to be proactive in getting the flu vaccine instead of waiting until being sick to do so, not just for the protection of the individual, but for older residents and those with weaker immune systems.

The flu has contributed to at least 310,000 hospitalizations and approximately 13,000 fatalities in the U.S. since October., with 72 influenza-related deaths occurring in Missouri.

“It’s so important for the younger population to get vaccinated because they can carry it, not have symptoms. And so then it gets spread to the elderly and problematic people without knowing that they even had it,” Billings said.

Statewide, active flu cases in Missouri (10,223) are 70% higher than they were at this same time last year and 1500% higher than in 2023. Kansas, Arkansas and Iowa are also all dealing with “very high” levels of flu cases.

The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important action in reducing your risk of flu and its potentially serious outcomes, followed by proper hygiene to prevent the spread of germs and covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing.

Along with the vaccine, Rex Robinson, head of pharmacy at Rogers Pharmacy, said there are other things people can do to help mitigate symptoms if a person gets sick.

“If you get the flu and the symptoms hit you. Then there’s a drug called Tamiflu. It’s an antiviral and it doesn’t make it go away immediately, but it shortens the duration of the flu,” Robinson said. “Vitamins may give you some strength to kind of combat that foraging feeling that you get of being really tired.”

Residents can also reduce their risk of exposure to the virus by improving indoor air quality with an air purifier.