News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – Influenza activity continued its sharp rise through the last week of 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today.

"Reports of influenza-like-illness (ILI) are nearing what have been peak levels during moderately severe seasons," said Joe Bresee, MD, chief of epidemiology and prevention in the CDC's flu division, in a CDC statement today.

Editor's Note: The fourth paragraph was revised on Jan 2 to clarify the current situation regarding H3N2 dominance.

(CIDRAP News) – US influenza activity continued its ascent last week, judging from the high volumes of patients seeking care for the disease at doctors' offices, while flu indicators in Europe showed a clear spike, according to the latest surveillance reports.

(CIDRAP News) – Flu activity in the Northern Hemisphere continued to climb last week, led by a vigorous pace of infections in the United States and Canada in the lead-up to the Christmas holiday season, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.