Take a look at the
latest flu tracking map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Only a handful of states -- Missouri, Oregon, Utah, Florida and Maine -- do not report widespread flu, which makes you
wonder if they are just not reporting the cases thoroughly. But the nation as a whole is sick.
Flu and pneumonia-related deaths are up. Ten of the deaths nationwide have involved children.
The CDC says for the last three years, between 46 and 74 children have died from flu-related illness.
Most of the flu viruses tested nationwide (84 percent) have been Type A, according to the CDC. The rest are Type B. There are a number of subtypes, which makes it difficult to vaccinate against the flu.
The CDC breaks down which types of the virus have been found in each part of the country:
This season, more influenza A viruses than influenza B
viruses have been identified in all regions. Among influenza
A viruses, influenza A (H1N1) has predominated in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, West North Central, Mountain,
and Pacific regions, and influenza A (H3N2) has predominated in the East North Central, South Atlantic, East South Central,
and West South Central regions. This season,
laboratory-confirmed influenza has been reported by the District of
Columbia and 47 states from all nine surveillance
regions.
