Influenza and other respiratory viruses are starting to circulate but officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say so far, they remain lower than this time last year.
CDC's most recent FluView weekly report showed that the percent of flu cases were relatively unchanged, rising about 1% compared to the week prior.
Surveillance by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services show flu activity is minimal and visits to the emergency room were up by less than one percent from the week before. COVID-like illness is also low, accounting for less than 5 percent of emergency department visits
About 35% of all flu hospitalizations were reported in the southeast of the U.S., which CDC experts say is a typical trend at the start of the flu season.
Most of the flu cases detected were Influenza A and the most common subtype was Influenza A(H1N1), which is the strain of the virus that the flu vaccine usually offers better protection from.
Respiratory syncytial virus numbers are on the rise in the U.S. and are projected to increase further. CDC officials say RSV typically circulates from October to April.
