Southeast US has hit the roof of CDC’s respiratory illness level scale

The US has seen a surge in respiratory illnesses that is hitting young children particularly hard and setting records for the decade.

The surge is caused by cases of flu and other respiratory infections in the Southeast. The seven southern states with the highest level of respiratory-illness activity are Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia. The states are purple on the national map, representing the highest level of activity.

There are 25 states that are experiencing high levels of respiratory illness activity.

The peaks of all past seasons have not yet been reached. The levels they've reached at this point in the flu season are higher than they've been every year since 2010, according to the CDC. There have been at least 2.8 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations, and 1,300 deaths from the flu so far this season. The agency has recorded five flu deaths so far this season.

Compared with all other age groups, children ages 0 to 4 years are more likely to seek outpatient care for ILI.

For week 44, the cumulative hospitalization rate was 5 per 100,000, the highest since 2010. The rates for week 44 ranged from 0.1 to 0.7. The highest rates for this year's week 44 were among adults 65 or older, followed by children 0 to 4 years, then adults 50 to 64, and adults 5-17 years.

The H3N2 strain of the flu is well-matched for the season's vaccine, according to the CDC. Circulation is ahead of normal patterns despite the fact that flu shots are behind where they should be.

Rochelle Walenksy, director of the CDC, said on her verified account Friday that flu vaccine take up has been lagging. If you haven't done so already, it's time to get your flu vaccine.