Influenza activity decreased for the fifth consecutive week, according to the CDC's most recent FluView report for the week ending March 24.
Here are five things to know.
1. Sixteen states and Puerto Rico reported widespread flu activity for the week. Twenty-two states reported regional flu activity; eight states, Washington, D.C., and Guam reported local flu activity; four states reported sporadic flu activity; and the U.S. Virgin Islands reported no flu activity for the week.
2. The percentage of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness was 2.5 percent for the week ending March 24, marking a 0.2 percent decline from the week prior. This figure still sits above the 2.2 percent national baseline.
3. The overall flu-associated hospitalization rate was 96.5 per 100,000 population for the week ending March 24, a 0.4 percent decrease from the previous week. The CDC tallied 27,438 laboratory-confirmed flu-associated hospitalizations from Oct. 1, 2017, through March 24, 2018.
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 as flu season wanes. The agency confirmed 2,066 positive specimens for influenza B for the week, compared to just 1,509 positive specimens for influenza A.
5. The CDC confirmed four additional pediatric flu deaths in the week ending March 24, bringing the total amount of flu-associated pediatric deaths to 137 for the 2017-18 flu season.
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