More than one out of every 10 deaths in the U.S. during the third week of 2018 was from influenza or pneumonia, according to data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Pneumonia, or inflammation of the lungs caused by an infection, is a common flu complication that can result in hospitalization and even death.
CDC acting director Anne Schuchat, M.D., said in a media briefing on Feb. 9 that with flu-related hospitalization rates approaching record numbers, flu and pneumonia deaths are expected to continue to rise over the next few weeks.
