Flu Season Update

According to the CDC, 40 states are currently reporting widespread flu activity. To be considered widespread, flu activity needs to be reported in more than 50 percent of a state's geographic regions.

In the past week, the proportion of deaths attributed pneumonia and influenza increased and moved above the epidemic threshold for the first time this season.

There have been 3,745 laboratory-confirmed influenza-related hospitalizations since October 1, 2013. The highest hospitalization rates are among those 65 older and children younger than five years old. This is typical of most flu seasons.

The most common strain of flu this year is Influenza A, or H1N1. After causing a pandemic in 2009, H1N1 has established itself in the human population and is no longer referred to as swine flu. In fact, it's become so common that it was included in this year's vaccine. This is the first season that H1N1 has circulated at high levels since the pandemic in 2009.

Typically, the flu continues to spread in January and peaks either in January or February before tapering off. The CDC expects that the flu season will continue for some time, especially in parts of the country that are seeing recent increases in flu and those that have yet to experience significant activity

The CDC emphasizes that anyone aged six months or older who has not received a flu shot should get one now.

To learn more, click here.