Influenza activity decreased for the sixth consecutive week, but rates of influenza-like illness in the outpatient setting remained above the national baseline, according to the CDC's most recent FluView report for the week ending March 31.
Here are five things to know.
1. The percentage of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness was 2.4 percent for the week ending March 31, marking a 0.1 percent decline from the week prior. This figure still sits above the 2.2 percent national baseline. Additionally, 7 of 10 U.S. regions reported outpatient flu activity above region-specific baselines for the week.
2. The overall flu-associated hospitalization rate was 99.9 per 100,000 population for the week ending March 31. The CDC tallied 28,543 laboratory-confirmed flu-associated hospitalizations from Oct. 1, 2017, through March 31, 2018.
3. Eleven states and Puerto Rico reported widespread flu activity for the week. Twenty-six states, Guam and Puerto Rico reported regional flu activity; 10 states and Washington, D.C., reported local flu activity; three states and the U.S. Virgin Islands reported sporadic flu activity for the week.
4. The most frequently identified virus type in positive specimens this flu season has been influenza A, primarily attributable to high rates of infection with the H3N2 strain. However, influenza B infections have outpaced influenza A infections since early March. The agency confirmed 2,028 positive specimens for influenza B in the week ending March 31, compared to just 1,329 positive specimens for influenza A.
5. The CDC confirmed five additional pediatric flu deaths for the week, bringing the total amount of flu-associated pediatric deaths to 142 for the 2017-18 flu season.
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