Weekly Flu Update: Flu Activity Continues Downward Trend

March 9, 2025 at 12:36 AM EST

UPDATED by WeatherBug Meteorologist, Andrew Rosenthal

Flu Update Valid For Week Ending March 1, 2025

It’s now March, and the flu trend is headed in the right direction.

Patient visits for respiratory illnesses decreased to 4.9%, above the national baseline of 3%. To date, 114 children have died of the flu this season, including 16 this week. Of all clinical lab tests, about 18.9% were positive for influenza.

Forty-two of the 54 reporting jurisdictions (states, territories, and major cities) have reported moderate or higher activity. In addition, 2.5% of all deaths in the U.S. this past week were attributable to the flu.

Our flu surveillance product will continue to focus on the severity of the flu rather than the geographic spread. This information is reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by each state’s health department, ranging on a scale from “minimal” to “very high” levels of activity.

States and territories reporting flu include the following activity and trends:

Very High (10 states): Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina and Washington.

Louisiana saw an increase from High to Very High over the last week.
Otherwise, all of the states were at Very High last week and remain there.

High (20 states, New York City and Washington D.C.): Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wisconsin.

Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, Tennessee, Virginia and New York City all saw a 1-step decrease from Very High to High this week.
Alaska increased one step from Moderate to High.
The remaining states were all at High levels of flu last week and remain there this week.

Moderate (10 states): Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and West Virginia.

All states decreased one step from High to Moderate.

Low (4 states, Puerto Rico and the Northern Marianas): Minnesota, Nevada, South Dakota and Utah.

Minnesota, Nevada, South Dakota, and Utah dropped one step from Moderate to Low.
Puerto Rico and the Marianas Islands were Low last week.

Minimal (4 states and the Virgin Islands): Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota and Oklahoma.

Oklahoma dropped three steps from High to Minimal.
Montana dropped two steps from Moderate to Minimal.
Hawaii and North Dakota were Low last week and dropped to Minimal.
The Virgin Islands saw Minimal activity last week.
New York and Vermont did not report.

Flu Facts:

The CDC recommends that everyone older than six months get the seasonal flu vaccine, either via an injection or nasal spray. Consult with your doctor or pharmacist to learn about flu vaccine side effects, precautions, and vaccine options—several multi-strain variations are available this year.

Due to certain health restrictions, not everyone is eligible to receive the flu shot. If you cannot get vaccinated, there are other ways to minimize your risk of contracting and spreading the flu:

Avoid close contact with those who are sick.
If you are sick, avoid exposing others by staying home from work or school.
Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.
Wash your hands frequently.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.

Lastly, getting a flu shot is not a guarantee that you won’t catch the flu, but it can help reduce the risk and severity of symptoms. The CDC urges doctors to prescribe one or a combination of the three available prescription antiviral drugs to patients with flu-like symptoms. If given early enough, antivirals can lessen the intensity and duration of influenza symptoms.

---

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention