US flu activity increased slightly, high in Texas, Miss

U.S. influenza activity increased slightly for the week ending Nov. 30, but Mississippi and Texas reported high influenza-like illness, officials said. Of 5,306 specimens tested and reported by U.S. World Health Organization and National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System collaborating laboratories 10.1 percent tested positive for influenza, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The Southeast Region 4 -- Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee -- and South Central Regions 6 -- Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas -- reported elevated influenza-like illness. Influenza-like illness is defined as fever -- temperature of 100 degrees or greater -- and cough and/or sore throat above their region-specific baseline level. Baseline influenza activity is the level that clinical influenza activity remains in throughout the summer. Arkansas, Delaware and New York City experienced low influenza-like illness; and 44 states experienced minimal influenza-like illness activity. One influenza-associated pediatric death was reported. Regional influenza activity was reported by nine states -- Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Utah. Local influenza activity was reported by Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia and Wyoming. Sporadic influenza activity was reported by the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and 27 states, while Vermont reported no influenza activity.