What's Going Around This Week? U.S. Health Briefing

Why Can the Signals Tell Different Stories?

Flu-like symptoms, hospital admissions and measles case totals measure different things. A rise in one does not require a rise in the others. Read each signal against its own recent history and check its source week before comparing places.

Flu-like illness is broader than confirmed flu. CDC’s outpatient network tracks visits with flu-like symptoms, which can be caused by multiple respiratory viruses. A low national reading can coexist with illness in a household or community. Missing state reports are labeled as reporting gaps rather than zero activity. Explore the flu state map or read CDC’s surveillance methods.

COVID-19 and RSV admissions describe hospital burden. These weekly measurements count new hospital admissions with each virus per 100,000 people. They do not count every infection, and the reporting period is not today. A steady trend means the signal is relatively unchanged across the latest three reports; it does not mean the virus is absent. See COVID-19 trends, see RSV trends, or read about CDC hospital reporting.

Measles needs its own context. The national total is a year-to-date count, not a weekly respiratory reading. CDC supplies national totals and formal outbreak counts; the Johns Hopkins state-detail tracker uses a different basis and remains approximate. For a specific exposure, check the relevant health department. Open the measles state tracker or read what a single reported case means.

Get the Report That Fits Your Question

• Home or family: Use the city or state finder above. A city report puts statewide respiratory trends in context and labels any additional local source separately.
• A trip: Compare your home and destination. Two places in the same state share the same statewide respiratory readings; this is not a neighborhood comparison.
• Water: Check an available city water profile. Utility service areas and exact-address caveats matter more than a statewide illness reading.
• A question about the numbers: Browse plain-language answers or read our methods.

Before You Share

Share this briefing for the national picture. For someone asking about a particular place, open their local report and use its copyable summary, which includes the readings, source dates and statewide scope. They can save the place in their browser to check again after new reports arrive.

Sources and Update Dates

The source snapshot above updates with our public-health data releases. Each reading keeps its own reporting date; the briefing update date does not mean that every source covers the same week. The first publication date remains visible separately.

These public surveillance signals provide general information, not a diagnosis or medical advice. For personal medical decisions, consult a healthcare professional and follow state or local health department guidance.