October 10th, 2022 by WCBC Radio

Influenza cases are rising in the United States as the country prepares for a potentially severe season.

During the week ending Oct. 1 — the latest date for which data is available — there were 969 cases of influenza A and 52 cases of influenza B reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This is a 303.75% increase from the 240 influenza A cases and a 79.3% increase from the 29 influenza B cases reported the week ending Aug. 6, the data shows.

What's more, over the same period, the percent positivity rate has risen from 0.49% to 2.5%.

Outpatient visits for influenza-like illnesses have particularly risen for children ages 4 and younger to more than 120,000 during the week ending Oct. 1, a 25.5% spike from the roughly 95,600 visits for this age group that were seen the week ending Aug. 6.

The CDC has previously warned the U.S. may see a harsh flu season after few to no cases were reported over the last two years.

Similar trends are being seen on statewide level.