Flu activity remains elevated nationally and increased slightly by several measures in early February, according to the CDC’s latest FluView report.
While flu-related hospital admissions and deaths continued to decline, outpatient visits and flu test positivity rates edged up week over week.
Five notes:
1. Outpatient visits for flu-like illness rose sharply in December, declined through early January and have since plateaued at elevated levels. The percentage of outpatient visits for respiratory illness was 4.6% in the week ending Feb. 7, up from 4.4% the week prior and remaining above the national baseline for the 10th consecutive week.
2. The flu test positivity rate increased to 18.6%, up from 18% the previous week. Influenza B test positivity has increased for three consecutive weeks, even as influenza A activity continues to decline nationally, according to the CDC. Influenza B now accounts for 32.8% of positive tests, up from 23.1% the week prior.
3. The weekly flu-associated hospitalization rate was 2.3 per 100,000 in the week ending Feb. 7, continuing to decline from the season’s peak of 12.8 per 100,000 in late December. This figure marked the second-highest peak weekly hospitalization rate observed since the 2010–11 season. The cumulative hospitalization rate reached 67 per 100,000 — also the second-highest at this point in the season since 2010–11. The CDC noted recent weeks are subject to reporting delays and may be revised.
4. Flu-related deaths declined for a fourth consecutive week, based on preliminary data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The agency also confirmed six new pediatric deaths in the week ending Feb. 7, bringing the season’s total to 66.
5. At least 23 million illnesses, 300,000 hospitalizations and 19,000 flu deaths have occurred so far this season, the CDC estimates.
