The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

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Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:23 PM

Flu Season Getting Worse And Has "Lots Of Steam To Go" According To CDC

NEW YORK (AP) -- The flu season in the U.S. is getting worse.

Health officials last week said flu was blanketing the country but they thought there was a good chance the season was already peaking. But the newest numbers out Friday show it grew even more intense.

One measure of the season is how many doctor or hospital visits are because of a high fever, cough and other flu symptoms. Thirty-two states reported high patient traffic last week, up from 26 the previous week. Overall, it was the busiest week for flu symptoms in nine years.

Hawaii is the only state that doesn't have widespread illnesses.