Small increases in influenza activity in certain areas of the United States have been reported by the CDC for the week of Nov 10-17 (Week 46) but overall influenza-related illness remains low.

According to the CDC’s Weekly US Influenza Surveillance Report, one pediatric flu death was reported in the last week.

Highlights included:

  • The proportion of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) remained at 1.9%, which is below the national baseline of 2.2%.
  • Three states — Georgia, Louisiana, and Oklahoma — experienced moderate ILI activity.
  • New York City and eight states (Alabama, Colorado, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia) experienced low ILI activity.
  • The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) was below the system-specific epidemic threshold in the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Mortality Surveillance System.

For week 46 (Nov 10-17), public health labs have tested a total of 599 samples and 79 were positive for flu (13.2%). Of the positive samples, 98% were Influenza A strains, including  (H1N1)pdm09 and H3N3.

The CDC continues to recommend the flu vaccination for anyone who has yet to be inoculated for the 2018-19 flu season.