Thread by @HelenBranswell

1. A #flu thread:
US activity continued to decline in the week ending Dec. 31. The current wave of flu — caused exclusively by flu A viruses — has peaked. In pre-Covid times, it was common to see a second peak with flu B late in the season, March-ish. Will that happen in 2023? 🤷‍♀️

2. Another 13 children have died from #flu this year. These deaths bring the 2022-23 total to 74. Too high, but still low by pre-Covid standards, when 100 to 200 pediatric deaths were reported/year. The new deaths occurred over 9 weeks but were reported to @CDCgov last week.

3. The drop off in outpatient visits for #influenza-like illnesses has been happening primarily in kids, teens & young adults, the age groups that have fueled this fall & early winter's sharp peak of #flu activity.

4. #Flu activity is still high in many parts of the country, but the number of jurisdictions reporting very high activity halved last week compared to the previous week & the number of jurisdictions reporting moderate activity doubled. Things are heading in the right direction.

5. You can see it in the maps below. Week 47, on the left, is when flu activity peaked. By last week, (week 52, to the right) the map has lightened up in many parts of the country.
You can check out the full FluView here: cdc.gov/flu/weekly/ind…