The latest influenza map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows there is some improvement nationwide in this year’s flu season, as several states that were rated “very high” in the last report have been downgraded to “high’ in the latest rating.
(Use the interactive feature on the map to see how the report has changed from week to week)
The activity of flu here in South Carolina is still characterized as “very high’ as it has been for several weeks now, going back to mid-November.
The silver lining for the Palmetto State is the state now is at the lowest level of the “very high” category. According to the CDC maps the flu infection rate has been trending lower over the last few weeks.
The CDC uses the following criteria in their assessments.
This system monitors visits for respiratory illness that includes fever plus a cough or sore throat, also referred to as ILI, not laboratory confirmed influenza and may capture patient visits due to other respiratory pathogens that cause similar symptoms.