Levels of influenza nationwide are now at the highest they have been since the peak of the 2009 swine flu pandemic, according to figures published [February 7] by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, amid this winter’s second wave of the virus.
Close to 8% of visits for respiratory illness to outpatient providers, including urgent cares and doctors offices, reported to the CDC this week were people sick with influenza. That is the worst on record in the CDC’s influenza surveillance network since late 2009, during the swine flu pandemic.
While most flu seasons usually see a resurgence of infections after the winter holidays, this winter’s flu wave has now reached unusually high levels compared to recent years. 
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Flu vaccination rates in children is at its lowest level in six years, according to the CDC. This year, fewer than half of Americans have been vaccinated. Bryant suspects “vaccine hesitancy” could be playing a role in the trend.
