Flu Is Low but Rising, CDC Says
The CDC's latest weekly flu report says flu activity is still low across the country, but it has been rising since late summer.
AI-narrated. Written with AI and checked against primary sources. Our standards
The video was recorded before our Oct 16 correction and still says flu season is getting an early start. The text here is the corrected version.
AI-narrated. Written with AI and checked against primary sources. Our standards
The story
It's a little higher than usual for this time of year, but the CDC says it's still within the normal range from one season to the next. The West Coast is seeing the most.
Nationally, about three and a half percent of lab tests came back positive for flu, and in one western region it was close to ten percent. Almost all the flu A virus scientists checked was one type, called H1N1.
The CDC recommends a flu shot every year for everyone six months and older, ideally by the end of October, since protection takes about two weeks to build.
So what can you do? The CDC recommends a flu shot every year for everyone six months and older, ideally by the end of October, since protection takes about two weeks to build.
Wash your hands, cover your coughs, and stay home when you're sick. And if you do get flu, call your doctor early, because flu medicines work best in the first couple of days.
Sources
The primary documents behind this story, with direct links to each one.
Image and footage credits: Lead image: CDC/C. S. Goldsmith and A. Balish (CDC Public Health Image Library) · CDC Public Health Image Library terms (credit CDC and the photographers; CDC website is the free source) · CDC/C. S. Goldsmith and A. Balish (CDC Public Health Image Library) · CDC Public Health Image Library terms (credit CDC and the photographers; CDC website is the free source) · CDC · CDC source, linked only · Original Wunder News diagram. No stock media. No medical photography.
Correction, 2026-10-16: The CDC's Week 39 report says flu activity is low but rising, higher than typical for this time of year but within expected seasonal variation. We removed the early-start claim and the November line, which wasn't in the CDC report. See the corrections log.
Source media
Images and footage from the primary sources behind this story, with credits and licenses.
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