Last Updated Feb 2, 2018 11:34 AM EST
Federal health officials say 15 more children died of the flu over the past week and more states are reporting high levels of illness. In a briefing Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the flu outbreak is responsible for at least 53 child deaths so far this season.
“Hospitalizations are now the highest we’ve seen,” said CDC Acting Director Dr. Anne Schuchat, who called the flu one of the biggest health threats currently facing the U.S. She said the cumulative rate of hospitalizations for serious cases of flu is now even greater than in the previous high season of 2014-15.
Widespread, high levels of flu activity were reported across most of the country. In one sign of good news, Schuchat said the outbreak appears to be easing up in the West.
There are probably several weeks left of increasing flu activity this season, she warned.
“We aren’t out of the woods yet, but there are steps everyone can take to fight the flu,” Shuchat said.
She stressed that the CDC continues to recommend people get flu shots, even though the vaccine’s effectiveness is lower than in some years. Canadian researchers reported Thursday that this year’s flu vaccine is less than 20 percent effective against the most dominant strain of the virus. Schuchat said the vaccine still offers some protection and can reduce the severity of illness if you do get infected.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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