CDC: Flu season is officially here

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Flu season is officially here. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the flu and other respiratory viruses are starting to spread, but the numbers so far are lower than last year.

The percentage of all reported respiratory viruses circulating over the last week are relatively unchanged nationally, but there is some variation regionally.

Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada are the only states that saw an increase in cases. Numbers in all areas of the country remain below their baseline, though, and outpatient visits for respiratory illness are low or minimal throughout most of the U.S.

Alaska is the only state where respiratory illness is moderate.

Most of the flu cases in the U.S. are influenza A, and the most common subtype was H1N1, which is the strain of the virus that the current flu vaccine offers better protection from, the CDC said.

However, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) is projected to increase in the coming weeks. It causes cold-like symptoms in most people, but it can put older adults and infants in the hospital.

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