DSHS’s latest flu report, for the week ending Feb 17, classifies flu activity in Texas as ?widespread.? This was the fourth consecutive week flu activity has been classified as widespread.
The widespread classification is used when there are increases in flu-like illnesses in at least half the regions in the state and recent lab-confirmed flu cases. DSHS reported ?widespread? flu activity for the same week last year.
Flu is not a reportable condition in Texas, but DSHS relies on reports from a surveillance network to classify flu activity. DSHS reports the weekly classifications to the CDC.
CDC?s flu-activity classifications range from no activity to sporadic, local, regional and widespread.