Influenza has caused at least 111 pediatric deaths this season, according to the CDC's most recent FluView report. This figure marks a decrease from the 180 pediatric flu deaths reported during the 2017-18 season.
Six things to know:
1. The percentage of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness remained at 1.5 percent for the week ending May 18, which falls below the national baseline of 2.2 percent.
2. Two states reported low flu activity for the week ending May 18, and 48 states experienced minimal activity.
3. In total, the CDC has confirmed 176,732 positive flu specimens since Sept. 30, 2018.
4. The overall flu-associated hospitalization rate stayed at 65.7 per 100,000 people for the week ending May 18. The CDC has confirmed 18,965 flu-associated hospitalizations between Oct. 1, 2018, and April 30, 2019.
5. Three pediatric flu deaths were reported to the CDC for the week ending May 18, one of which occurred during the 2017-18 flu season. In total, 111 pediatric flu deaths have been reported to the CDC this season.
6. One state reported widespread flu activity for the week ending May 18. One other state reported regional activity, eight states reported local flu activity, 36 states reported sporadic activity and four states reported no activity.