Influenza transmission is declining this month in most parts of the U.S., according to the most recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Yet, some areas still had very high transmission as of week 50 of the flu season, ending Dec. 17.
Areas with “very high” transmission are split into three color-coded groups by the CDC. Areas with the very highest transmission as of week 50 were:
· Colorado
· Idaho
· Nebraska
· New Mexico
· Maine
· New York City
· Washington
Although still in the “very high” category, these areas do not have quite as much influenza activity:
· Indiana
· Massachusetts
· North Dakota
· Ohio
· Oklahoma
· Rhode Island
· Tennessee
· Washington D.C.
At the lowest end of the “very high” activity level spectrum were the following states:
· California
· Connecticut
· Iowa
· Kansas
· Kentucky
· Missouri
· Montana
· New Jersey
· South Carolina
· Texas
· Virginia
· Wyoming
Alaska and New Hampshire were the only states with low activity.
Per the CDC’s latest flu report 24.4% of specimens tested at clinical laboratories nationwide for the flu were positive. During week 50, 77.8% of cases were influenza A(H3N2) and 22.2% were influenza A(H1N1).
That week, 17 influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported, bringing the season total to 47. Per CDC estimates, there have been at least 18 million illnesses, 190,000 hospitalizations, and 12,000 deaths from flu this season.
“The cumulative hospitalization rate in the FluSurv-NET system was more than six times higher than the highest cumulative in-season hospitalization rate observed for week 50 during previous seasons going back to 2010-2011,” said the centers. “However, this in-season rate is still lower than end-of-season hospitalization rates for all but 4 pre-COVID-19-pandemic seasons going back to 2010-11.”
As of week 50, hospitalizations had decreased for a second week in a row.
An annual flu vaccine is the best way to protect against flu,” said the CDC. It recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older get a flu vaccine annually. Anyone who is not already vaccinated should get one, the CDC said.
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