More than 3,100 new flu cases confirmed by CDC

Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Apparently, the turkey and trimmings weren't the only things Americans were passing around over the Thanksgiving holiday.

According to the latest FluView report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released Friday, there were more than 3,100 confirmed new cases of the flu in the U.S. during the week ending Nov. 30. This brings season total to date to nearly 15,000 confirmed cases of flu.

In all, 3.5 percent of all visits to healthcare providers across the country that week were related to influenza, up from 2.9 percent the previous week.

Additionally, 13 jurisdictions across the country are now reporting high flu activity, up from eight in the prior week. The areas reporting high activity now include Puerto Rico and 12 states: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.

And, New York City and another 14 states -- Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia -- reported moderate levels of flu activity during the most recent week.

Based on National Center for Health Statistics mortality surveillance data, 4.8 percent of the deaths occurring during the week ending Nov. 30, were due to pneumonia and influenza. This percentage is still below the agency's threshold for an epidemic -- which is 6.4 percent -- and down from the previous week's figure of 5.1 percent.

The overall hospitalization rate for the flu was 2.7 people per 100,000 population. The highest rate of hospitalization was among adults 65 years of age and older -- 7.0 people per 100,000 population -- followed by children up to four years of age -- 4.6 people per 100,000 population.

Among 784 hospitalizations nationally, 451, or 57.5 percent, were associated with influenza A virus, while 325, or 41.5 percent, were associated with influenza B virus.

"The 2019-2020 flu season is underway for most of the country," the CDC said. "Activity is being caused mostly by influenza B/Victoria viruses, which is unusual for this time of year. H1N1 viruses are the next most common, followed by H3N2 viruses, which are decreasing in proportion."