This year's flu season is now an epidemic, meaning it's widespread nationally. But levels in Oregon are still minimal.
Flu activity is high in 22 states and Puerto Rico, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oregon is only seeing sporadic cases.
But Doctor Paul Cieslak of the state health department says flu season usually comes later in Oregon: "I fear that it will be a bad season for two reason. One is that the major circulating strain is H3, and that tends to be worse than H1 or the Bs. So that in and of itself is a predictor of a bad flu year. And the second thing is of course the trouble with the vaccine."
The CDC says this year's vaccine doesn't match the viruses currently circulating.
The Washington State Health Department says seven flu deaths have been lab-confirmed there in the last couple of weeks.
Copyright 2014 Oregon Public Broadcasting