CDC’s Influenza Surveillance Report & PHCC’s Talking Points

Key Updates for Week 43 from the CDC’s Weekly Influence Surveillance Report: Early increases in seasonal flu activity continue nationwide. The southeastern and south-central areas of the country are reporting the highest levels of activity followed by the Mid-Atlantic and the south-central West Coast regions. In addition, the second pediatric death of the 2022-23 influenza season was reported this week. The CDC estimates that, so far this season, there have been at least 1,600,000 illnesses, 13,000 hospitalizations, and 730 deaths from flu. See more information here.

Effective, consistent communications strategies are critical to ensure that people have the information they need to take necessary actions to prevent the spread of flu. The Public Health Communication Collaborative (PHCC) has updated their Answers to Tough Questions with new messaging to help you answer questions like “can I get my flu shot and COVID-19 booster the same day?”