The Nation : Flu Season Toll Increases

More than 800 Americans died last week from influenza and pneumonia, a higher-than-expected number that shows the flu season is getting worse, government health experts said. The national Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, which monitors deaths in 121 leading U.S. cities, said flu and pneumonia were responsible for 6% of the 13,895 reported deaths last week, up from 4.9% six weeks earlier. The increase comes as 25 states and the District of Columbia reported confirmed cases of influenza to the Atlanta-based CDC. One of the most recent outbreaks occurred earlier this month at a nursing home in California’s San Joaquin County, where 27 of 74 elderly residents came down with flu or flu-like illnesses.