NEW YORK – The flu is now widespread in all but seven states, and hospitalization rates match the dismal season two years ago. While health officials fear this will be an unusually bad year, it’s too soon to say.
The latest figures released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the flu hitting hard in most of the 43 states where the illness was widespread. But the flu was not yet rampant in populous states like California and New York.
The report is for the week of Christmas, and it shows the flu season following a similar track as the last two, when flu activity peaked no later than mid-January. Perhaps that will happen this winter, too, the CDC’s Dr. Michael Jhung said.
HOW BAD IS THIS FLU SEASON?
It’s not clear yet. Experts are worried because the nasty bug that’s making most people sick isn’t included in this year’s vaccine. Preliminary data on how well the vaccine is working is still weeks away. Among infectious diseases, flu is considered one of the nation’s leading causes of death, killing roughly 24,000 a year, on average.