North Carolina health officials have confirmed the state's first flu-related death of the 2026-27 season, involving an adult who died in central North Carolina during the first week of October. The news lands as doctors across the region report flu patients showing up weeks earlier than they typically would, with local providers describing a noticeably early start to respiratory illness season.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported the death as the first confirmed flu-related fatality of the season, according to WECT. The patient has been described only as an adult in central North Carolina, and NCDHHS has released no additional identifying information about who they were, per ABC11. The Charlotte Observer similarly reported that the adult died of flu complications, and noted that flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccines are now available across the state.
Local health providers say they're already seeing the effects. UNC Health reported an uptick in flu and cold cases, and UNC Health Medical Center treated 25 emergency-room patients for flu in Chapel Hill last week, per the seed reporting from ABC11. Doctors elsewhere in the state are echoing that experience: Dr. Alston Enz of Wilmington Health told WECT he's seeing flu patients daily and first noticed activity as early as August, well before the season would normally ramp up.
Data Shows the Earliest Start in Five Years
The anecdotal reports track with national data. Epic Research, which analyzed records through its Cosmos dataset covering more than 310 million patients across 2,200 hospitals and 50,000-plus clinics, found that the influenza visit rate hit 140.6 encounters per 100,000 patients during the week of Sept. 13 — the highest mid-September level in five years. That rate was roughly double what was seen during the same week in 2024 and 2025, and it arrived about seven weeks earlier than those seasons' comparable increase, the research group reported. Influenza test positivity reached 1.5% that same week, the highest mid-September rate recorded in the post-pandemic era, with the rise showing up consistently across outpatient, emergency-department and inpatient settings.
Consumers appear to be responding to the early surge. Walgreens data provided to ABC News showed purchases of cold and flu medications up 21.7% compared with the same time last year, while cough drop purchases rose 16.6%. For families like Madi Bentley's, the timing has meant stocking up early: she told ABC11 her family has repeatedly dealt with bad respiratory illnesses and planned ahead for what's expected this season. Stephen Taylor, who has two preschool-age children and a three-month-old, said the early increase in illness is especially concerning for his household, according to the same report.
Vaccines and Free Clinics Available Statewide
Health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated now rather than wait. Free drive-through flu vaccination clinics are scheduled in Wilmington on Oct. 12, Oct. 15 and Nov. 3, running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., WECT reported. Those clinics are open to anyone 6 months and older, require no appointment and carry no out-of-pocket cost. North Carolina also maintains a weekly updated dashboard tracking respiratory-virus trends and immunization data, the Charlotte Observer noted.
The stakes of an early season are significant given recent history. North Carolina recorded 335 flu-related deaths in 2025, including 10 pediatric deaths, making it the third-highest death toll recorded in the state since broad reporting began in 2009, per the Charlotte Observer's report. It remains unknown whether this year's early activity will translate into a more severe season overall.
Other States Reporting Early Activity Too
North Carolina isn't alone in seeing the flu season arrive ahead of schedule. In Los Angeles County, flu activity began rising in September, ahead of its typical early-November start, with the county's season officially beginning Sept. 28, according to the Los Angeles Times. San Francisco confirmed its first flu death of the season, while Los Angeles County had not recorded any flu deaths at the time of that report — though the county logged 126 influenza deaths during the 2025-26 season. California's statewide death count has been reported inconsistently: the Los Angeles Times cited 34 flu-related deaths from the state health department's dashboard, while ABC News cited 26 deaths statewide and noted it was unclear whether that figure included the San Francisco patient.
Washington state is seeing a similar pattern. Thurston County Public Health and Social Services reported the county's first influenza-related death of the 2026-27 season, according to KOMO News. Influenza A activity in the state remains low overall but is increasing earlier than in recent years, the outlet reported.
Allergies Are Compounding the Confusion
Adding to the symptom overlap, allergens remain elevated in central North Carolina as weed season continues, with ragweed identified as the most common culprit, according to the ABC11 report. Dr. Edwin Kim said allergy symptoms are widespread this time of year and recommended nose sprays and eye drops, which target the source of eye and nose irritation, as more effective options than antihistamine tablets. Antihistamine pills are convenient, Kim said, but are typically less effective than medicine applied directly where symptoms occur — a distinction that may help residents sort out whether their symptoms point to allergies or something more like the flu.
