January 8, 2013 (USA TODAY) -- The current flu season is hitting
the nation with deadly force, so far killing 18 children and
sending people in 29 states to medical clinics and hospitals.
Government health experts say the flu is worse than normal,
starting earlier and covering a broader region of the country.
More than 2,200 people were hospitalized with flu symptoms
through the end of 2012. "It has been relatively widespread
across the United States," said Trish Perl, an epidemiologist
for the Johns Hopkins Health System in Baltimore and a co-leader
of a flu study involving about 100 clinics in several cities.
For the fourth week in a row, the proportion of people seeing
health care providers for a flulike illness is above normal,
jumping from 2.8% to 5.6% in that time, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention in Atlanta says. Last season's proportion
peaked at 2.2%, the CDC reports. The 29 states affected, plus
New York City, are now reporting high flulike activity, up from
16 states the week before,