The flu is responsible for an estimated 13 million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations and 6,600 deaths so far this season, according to the the most recent FluView report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thirty-two states experienced high flu-like illness activity and four states experienced moderate activity.
While these numbers are above baseline levels, the percentage of respiratory specimens that tested positive for flu and the percentage of outpatient visits for flu-like illness both decreased in the week ending Jan. 11.
The overall flu-associated hospitalization rate is in line with trends seen during this time last season.
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