News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – The nation's flu indicators continue to drop with the start of spring, but virus activity is still significant in many parts of the country, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its most recent surveillance report.

(CIDRAP News) – Flu activity in the United States last week continued its slow retreat, with more areas of the country returning to regional baselines and fewer respiratory samples testing positive for the virus.

(CIDRAP News) – If peak influenza activity is an accurate measure, flu viruses prefer the weather either cold and dry or humid and rainy, according to an analysis of climate variables and flu patterns around the world.

(CIDRAP News) – Most US influenza activity indicators showed a continued decrease last week as influenza B for the first time this season became the predominant strain, according to new data presented today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Of 7,609 respiratory specimens tested by reporting labs, 16.9% were positive for flu, about the same as the previous week, when 16.8% tested positive.

(CIDRAP News) – Some of the key markers that US officials use to track flu continued to tumble last week, though activity was still elevated in most parts of the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today.

Nationally, the percentage of doctors visits for flulike illness fell from 3.2% to 2.8% last week, with all parts of the country still above regional baselines.