The Center for Disease Control estimates that at least 30 children died from the flu in the past few months.
In new data, the CDC shared that over 74,000 people have contracted the flu this season. Of course, this number is likely higher, since not everyone who gets the flu checks in with a doctor.
But Lynnette Brammer, the head of CDC's Domestic Flu Surveillance team, is anticipating a drop in numbers.
"Hopefully we're at the peak now, but until we see it go down for a couple of weeks we won't know that we have reached peak yet," said Brammer to CNN. "Some areas of the country may have, but I think some areas are probably still going up."
However, with the federal shutdown happening, the epidemic could still get worse since the CDC is a government organization. In the meantime, Brammer shared some ways to combat the spreading disease.
"We want to continue to emphasize that there's still a lot of flu activity to come, people that haven't been vaccinated should still get the vaccine," she said. "Given that we're seeing so much flu activity, particularly people who are high risk, the elderly, children under 2, pregnant women, and people with chronic health problems should talk to their doctors about antiviral medications to treat the Illness."
The CDC notes that flu season usually starts off in October with the peak of the season usually happening between December and February. However, the hostile season can sometimes last until May.
