CDC Says Flu Season Has Peaked—but More Deaths Are Likely

Though 45 states still report “widespread cases” of influenza, the total number of new cases in the United States is down for the second week in a row, leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to declare that flu season has peaked. Only 5% of people visited providers complaining of flu symptoms last week, down from 6.4% the previous week. The agency cautioned that this does not mean it’s time to be less vigilant to prevention, or to presume there’s won’t be new patients who need immediate care to prevent more deaths, however. Just last week, 17 children died, bringing the number of pediatric deaths attributed to flu to 84 this season. The overall death toll through mid-February stood at 40,414.