BOISE, Idaho — Flu season is here and the virus is spreading quickly.
The CDC reports 24 states now have widespread flu -- Idaho is one of them.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reports that two adults have died of influenza-related causes so far this season. Both patients were in north Idaho.
With peak flu season not until February, doctors expect cases and hospitalizations from the virus to continue rising.
Children and the elderly are most at risk.
The CDC has five levels to define the spread of the flu based on geography.
- No activity means state health departments are reporting no cases of influenza.
- When there's a small number of cases confirmed by a lab – activity is listed as sporadic.
- Local means outbreaks are confirmed in a single region of the state.
- When two regions in a state are reporting an outbreak – it's considered regional.
- When the flu is considered widespread – that means at least half of the regions in the state are confirming cases of the flu.
