There have been twice as many pediatric flu deaths so far this year than at the same time last year, CDC reports.
Though the two prominent strains typically affect younger people, older adults can become ill with these strains.
"Influenza can be severe for anyone, whether it's influenza B, influenza A," said Scott Epperson, an epidemiologist who tracks flu activity for the CDC."We are seeing hospitalization levels that are at this point comparable to what we've seen in previous years."will play out, Epperson said. However, the CDC's report suggested it's reasonable to expect fewer flu-related hospitalizations and deaths overall.
That's because the majority of complications occur in people 65 and older, not the younger patient populations who've been hit hard with flu so far this year. The agency also tracks flu-like illnesses reported in outpatient settings, a statistic that was down slightly this week. The report finds 5.8 percent of outpatient doctor's visits nationwide are from these illnesses, down from about 7 percent a week ago.
It's too soon to tell whether that's an indication the season has peaked, experts said. The decline may be due to fewer people going to the doctor during the holidays.
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