Flu season this year more severe than those of last decade: U.S. CDC

People take photos near the Cloud Gate, also known as The Bean, at Millennium Park in downtown Chicago, the United States, Oct. 16, 2022. (Photo by Vincent D. Johnson/Xinhua)

The southeast and south-central areas of the United States reported the highest levels of flu activity, according to the CDC.

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The flu has arrived significantly earlier this year, causing more hospitalizations at this point in the season than in the past decade, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The southeast and south-central areas of the country reported the highest levels of flu activity, according to the CDC.

The agency estimates that, so far this season, there have been at least 880,000 flu illnesses, 6,900 hospitalizations, and 360 deaths from flu nationwide.

The first flu-related pediatric death of the season was reported in the week ending Oct. 22, according to the CDC.

The CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older get a flu vaccine annually.

"Vaccination helps prevent infection and can also prevent serious outcomes in people who get vaccinated but still get sick with flu," said the agency.