Flu activity was low from late September through eldridge January, before peaking in mid-February, and remaining high until the middle of March. Fry, a CDC epidemiologist, told earlier this month. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Less severe strains of influenza and a good vaccine match for the strains that were circulating combined to create a milder season this year than last, according to the U.S. "The flu did not reach an epidemic threshold this year." Historically, she explained, in years where the influenza type A H3N2 subtype is the. Since then, infections rates have been falling nationwide, according to the CDC. The percentage of deaths attributable to pneumonia and flu, and the percentage of outpatient visits "suggest that this season has been less severe than the 2007-08 season and is more similar to the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons," CDC officials wrote in the issue of the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

"If we look at mortality and the rate of hospitalizations, it seems like this year is less severe compared to last year and more similar to the years prior to last year," Dr.