The CDC updated its respiratory illness report on Oct. 18. Here are five things to know:
- Emergency department visits for RSV and flu are rising, though overall levels remain low.
- M. pneumoniae cases peaked in August and have remained high across all age groups, particularly among children. Among children ages 5 to 17, cases increased from 3.6% to 7.4%.
- There is a significant rise in younger children. Cases in children ages 2 to 4 rose from 1% to 7.2%. Historically, M. pneumoniae has not been a major cause of pneumonia in this age group, the CDC noted.
- XEC COVID-19 variant are also rising. The variant quickly climbed to the second most common strain in October. As of Oct. 12, XEC was most common in California, Nevada and New Mexico (HHS region No. 9), accounting for 14.3% of cases. High rates were also reported in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia (region No. 3) at 9.5%, and New York and New Jersey (region No. 2) at 9%.
- Overall respiratory illness levels remain low across the U.S.
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