January 11th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

Widespread flu is being reported at high levels across the Mountain State and in more than 30 other states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We are seeing a significant uptick in the number of influenza-like illnesses and flu-related illnesses,” confirmed Dr. Sherri Young, health officer and executive director of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department. The spike started during the holiday period. In West Virginia, the number of reported cases of influenza-like illnesses for the 2019-2020 flu season, so far, was up above last year’s rate for the same time of year. However, numbers remained below levels recorded in 2017-2018 during the worst flu season in years, data from the state Department of Health and Human Resources’ Bureau for Public Health showed.