Hutchinson Clinic Offers Flu Shots as Kansas Prepares for 2025-26 Season
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Clinic is now offering flu vaccinations as Kansas health officials prepare for the upcoming 2025-26 influenza season amid expectations of continued respiratory virus activity.
The multi-specialty medical clinic, located at 2101 N. Waldron St., is encouraging residents to schedule appointments for flu shots as part of the "protect the kingdom" campaign highlighted in recent social media posts.
All flu vaccines for use in the United States are trivalent (three component) vaccines for the 2025-2026 season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Everyone 6 months and older, with rare exceptions, should get a flu vaccine every season.
The CDC projects that vaccine manufacturers have projected that they will supply the United States with as many as 154 million doses of flu vaccine for 2025-2026.
Current Flu Activity in Kansas
Seasonal influenza activity is low nationally as of early August, according to the latest CDC surveillance data. However, Kansas experienced significant flu activity during the 2024-25 season, which officially runs from September through May.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment followed with a KS-HAN on January 17, 2025, to inform clinicians and laboratories of sporadic human infections with avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses amid high levels of seasonal influenza activity during the peak of the 2024-25 season.
Kansas surveillance data shows the state saw substantial influenza A activity from late February through early April 2025, with 70 cases of influenza A detected during the week ending March 1, 2025 at state laboratories, representing the peak of seasonal activity.
Vaccine Composition and Availability
For the 2025-2026 flu season, CDC recommends seasonal flu vaccination with single-dose formulations that are free of thimerosal as a preservative for children, pregnant women, and adults.
The 2025-26 flu vaccines will protect against three virus strains: an A(H1N1) virus, an A(H3N2) virus, and a B/Victoria lineage virus.
Most health care insurance plans cover the annual flu vaccination as preventive care, and vaccination is often available at no or low cost for uninsured individuals.
Kansas Flu Impact
The 2024-25 flu season proved severe in Kansas, with 180 deaths where influenza was listed as the direct cause of death compared to 60 deaths during the 2023-24 season.
A total of 267 influenza-associated pediatric deaths occurring during the 2024-2025 season have been reported to CDC. This is the highest number of pediatric deaths reported in any non-pandemic influenza season since the condition became reportable in 2004.
Among children who were eligible for influenza vaccination and with known vaccine status, 90% of reported pediatric deaths this season have occurred in children who were not fully vaccinated against influenza.
Surveillance and Prevention
Kansas regulations do not require health care providers to report cases of influenza to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment except for pediatric deaths and novel influenza A infections. Instead, the state monitors flu activity through syndromic surveillance systems.
Health officials emphasize that vaccination remains the most effective prevention method. Getting a yearly flu vaccination is the best way to prevent flu and its potentially serious complications.
For more information about flu shots at Hutchinson Clinic, residents can call (620) 669-2500 or visit hutchclinic.com. The clinic is open now and accepts most insurance plans.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment provides ongoing flu surveillance data at kdhe.ks.gov, and the CDC offers additional information about the 2025-26 flu season at cdc.gov.