The US is experiencing its most severe flu season in over a decade, with at least 24 million cases reported so far this year. According to the CDC, 310,000 Americans have been hospitalized and 13,000 people, including 57 children, have died from the infection. The flu season typically runs from October to May, but this year’s peak is expected to continue for weeks.
Dr. Robert Hopkins, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, says that influenza A strains are causing more severe disease due to low vaccination rates and the characteristics of these strains. The CDC reports that only 113 out of 4,300 flu specimens tested were influenza B, while 3,187 were influenza A.
The most affected states include Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, which are all reporting “very high” levels of respiratory illness. Dr. Hopkins urges people to get vaccinated as long as flu viruses are circulating in their community.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/health/flu/the-us-is-having-its-most-active-flu-season-in-15-years