The CDC reported a decline in nationwide influenza activity for the third consecutive week in its most recent FluView report. Data suggest the 2017-18 flu season peaked in early February.
Here are five things to know.
1. The percentage of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness was 3.3 percent for the week ending March 10, marking a 0.4 percent decline from the week prior. This figure still sits above the 2.2 percent national baseline. Current data suggest flu season peaked in early February with an influenza-like illness rate of 7.5 percent, according to a CDC summary on the most recent data.
2. The overall flu-associated hospitalization rate was 89.9 per 100,000 population for the week ending March 10. The CDC tallied 25,676 laboratory-confirmed flu-associated hospitalizations from Oct. 1, 2017, through March 10, 2018.
3. The most frequently identified virus type in positive specimens this season has been influenza A, primarily driven by the H3N2 strain. However, the CDC identified more influenza B cases for the week ending March 10 than influenza A cases. For the two prior weeks, the CDC documented comparable specimen confirmation rates for the two flu types.
4. The CDC increased its count of pediatric flu deaths for the 2017-18 flu season by nine, bringing this season's total to 128.
5. The number of states reporting widespread flu activity for the week ending March 10 declined by eight from the week prior. Twenty-six states and Puerto Rico reported widespread flu activity for the week. Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Guam reported regional flu activity; Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, West Virginia and Washington, D.C., reported local flu activity; Vermont reported local flu activity; and the U.S. Virgin Islands reported no flu activity for the week.
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