CDC: No states report high flu activity

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ATLANTA, March 1 (UPI) -- Influenza activity remains elevated in parts of the United States, but there continues to be a downward trend nationally, health officials say.

The weekly flu report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said for the week ending Feb. 23, the proportion of people seeing their healthcare provider for influenza-like illness decreased for the fifth consecutive week.

No states reported high influenza-like illness activity. Twelve states and New York City experienced moderate influenza-like illness activity: Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.

Low influenza-like illness activity was reported by: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Dakota.

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia experienced minimal influenza-like illness activity: Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Three influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported for the week, but two deaths occurred earlier in February. For the 2012-13 flu season there was a total of 81 influenza-associated pediatric deaths reported. Thirty-four pediatric deaths were reported during the 2011-12 flu season, 122 in the 2010-11 flu season and 282 during the H1N1 2009-10 flu season.

Widespread influenza activity -- more than 50 percent of the state reporting flu activity -- was reported by: Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Twenty-eight states reported regional influenza activity, while the District of Columbia, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina and South Dakota reported local influenza activity, and Alabama, Delaware and Hawaii reported sporadic influenza activity.