- Flu is no active throughout the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday
- 1,300 people, including 10 children have died
- The annual virus is considered ‘widespread’ in 23 states
- Experts say this season may peak earlier but last longer than most
- Influenza B/Victoria is unusually active for this time of year, meaning children may be at greater risk of contracting the infection
Flu season arrived early, the virus is now active across the country and 2.6 million people have already fallen ill, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday.
The CDC now expects that the season will peak in late December – unusually early for the annual pandemic.
But National Foundation for Infectious Diseases director Dr William Schaffner told NBC News that he is ‘a little concerned that we’ll have a prolonged influenza season.’
So far, 23,000 have been hospitalized and 1,300 people have died of the flu this year. Six of those were children.
And this season has surprised experts in another way. The less common B strain of the virus is more common than usual this year, and for it to be ‘prominent is weird,’ at this point in the season, said Dr Schaffner.