Long flu season winds down in US

By MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. flu season appears to be over. It was long, but federal health officials and doctors say it was a moderate one. Last week, for the third straight week, medical visits for flu-like illnesses dipped below the threshold for what’s counted as an active flu season. Springtime upticks in flu are possible. But other indicators, like hospitalizations and patient testing, also show low and declining activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there have been at least 34 million illnesses and 24,000 deaths from flu since the beginning of October.