The U.S. is in peak flu season, as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says “seasonal influenza activity remains elevated and continues to increase across the country.”

Case counts vary by state, however. Each week, the CDC releases a map of influenza activity across the country.

The color-coded map indicates each state’s activity level, ranging from minimal to very high.

The most current map reflects data from the week ending Feb 8, 2025.

BIRD FLU VACCINE GETS ‘CONDITIONAL LICENSE’ FROM USDA, COMPANY ANNOUNCES

Flu activity is currently highest in New York City, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington.

That is followed by Maine, Washington D.C., North Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

Just below that level, but still “very high,” are New York State, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, Idaho, California, Mississippi, Alabama and Connecticut.

Wyoming, Arizona, Nevada, South Dakota, Florida, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Minnesota are all “high-activity” states.

HAS A ‘QUADEMIC’ HIT THE US? 4 VIRAL INFECTIONS AND WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THEM

North Dakota and Utah are classified as “moderate.”

Montana, Hawaii and Alaska are the only states that fall into the “low activity” category.

Anita Patel, PharmD and vice president of Pharmacy Health Services at Walgreens in Atlanta, said that flu spread normally begins spreading in the southern states.

The U.S. is in peak flu season, as the CDC says “seasonal influenza activity remains elevated and continues to increase across the country.” (iStock)

“This is due to a combination of factors, including weather patterns, travel habits and population density, which can create ideal conditions for the viruses to spread — even though the overall flu season typically peaks during colder months when people are spending more time indoors,” she told Fox News Digital.

“What we are seeing now is high activity in southern states, with some states that had disease early beginning to recover, like Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP      

The northern and western regions of the country are now peaking, Patel noted. 

“Studies show that as it gets colder and drier, viruses like flu travel better,” she said. “In the winter, people often spend more time indoors, typically in close proximity to each other. This increased indoor activity can make it easier for the virus to spread.”

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

Densely populated states that are cold tend to have more transmission, the expert noted — “more people per capita makes social distancing harder, plus [there is] more indoor activity, hence their rates are higher.”

“The flu vaccine can prevent people from getting sick, but more importantly, it can reduce the severity of symptoms if you do get sick,” an expert noted. (iStock)

Flu vaccination rates are also lower nationwide, Patel pointed out. 

“The flu vaccine can prevent people from getting sick, but more importantly, it can reduce the severity of symptoms if you do get sick,” she told Fox News Digital.  

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health

“The CDC data measures outpatient reported illness (people seeking care because they are ill instead of just staying home),” Patel added. “With more people this year seeking care, the lower vaccine rates may also be playing into the more intense season.”

A New Jersey pharmaceutical company has received a “conditional license” for its bird flu vaccine for use in chickens.

The vaccine, developed by Zoetis, targets the H5N2 subtype of avian influenza, which has been found in both poultry and humans, according to a press release from the company.

The license was granted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB), the same source stated.

BIRD FLU PATIENT HAD VIRUS MUTATIONS, SPARKING CONCERN ABOUT HUMAN SPREAD

More than 150 million birds in the U.S. have been affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza since February 2022, according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

“When a new strain of HPAI was identified in the U.S. in early 2022, our scientists immediately began work to update our previous avian influenza vaccine,” said Mahesh Kumar, Ph.D., senior vice president, global biologics research and development at Zoetis, in the release. 

The company first worked on developing bird flu vaccines in 2001 and 2002 amid outbreaks among flocks in Southeast Asia, Kumar noted. 

BIRD FLU LEADS TO SEVERE HUMAN ILLNESS AND STATE OF EMERGENCY

Zoetis received a conditional license in 2016 for its H5N1 vaccine, which was used to help protect California condors, according to the company.

When contacted by Fox News Digital, a Zoetis spokesperson said the vaccine is not commercially available at this time. 

More than 150 million birds in the U.S. have been affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza since February 2022. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)

“The decision to vaccinate commercial poultry flocks rests solely with national regulatory authorities in consultation with their local poultry sector,” the spokesperson said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP      

Jacob Glanville, CEO and president of biotechnology company Centivax in San Francisco, noted that Zoetis’ bird flu vaccine is intended for veterinary use on bird flocks. 

“This is extremely good news, as vaccination of our animal populations is the best method of suppressing the H5N1 global outbreak and protecting the economic interest of farmers,” he told Fox News Digital. 

“So far, our method has been culling, or killing, all animals in a farm. This clearly hasn’t worked well enough and has been terribly disruptive to farmers’ businesses and the food supply,” said an infectious diseases expert. (iStock)

“So far, our method has been culling, or killing, all animals in a farm. This clearly hasn’t worked well enough and has been terribly disruptive to farmers’ businesses and the food supply,” he went on. 

“Now, we need the same for cows and cats.” 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

One limitation is that this H5N2 vaccine from Zoetis is “heavily mismatched” to the circulating strain, Glanville cautioned. 

“Now, we need the same for cows and cats.” 

“This could result in immune escape and of survival but perpetuation of transmission.”

In the U.S., there have been a total of 68 cases of human bird flu, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health

Fox News Digital reached out to the USDA for comment.

After facing the threat of active war, many veterans also wage battles with cancer.

One of those is John Ryan of Aldie, Virginia – a U.S. Navy veteran who was diagnosed with lung cancer after serving in the military for 30 years.

Since he enlisted in October 1962, much of the commander’s military service has been “shrouded in secrecy,” according to a November 2024 report from the Cancer Research Institute (CRI).

‘I’M A CANCER SURVIVOR – HERE’S WHAT I’VE CUT FROM MY KITCHEN’

In an on-camera interview with Fox News Digital, Ryan shared that he joined the “nuclear power program” amid the Cuban Missile Crisis, during which he embarked on about a dozen patrols on nuclear submarines.

Ryan retired from active military service in 1992, and then retired full-time in 2000 to spend time with his family in Northern Virginia.

In 2013, Ryan called his doctor after he began spitting up blood and was sent to the emergency room. His diagnosis was grim: stage 4 adenocarcinoma, otherwise known as non-small cell lung cancer.

CANCER VACCINE SHOWS PROMISING RESULTS FOR CERTAIN PATIENTS

Ryan underwent four sessions of chemotherapy at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, but he did not improve. He also suffered from residual side effects from both chemo and cancer, including fatigue, pain, weight loss and pleural effusion.

Upon seeking a second opinion, Ryan met Julie Brahmer, MD, at John’s Hopkins in Maryland. He was enrolled in a clinical trial for immunotherapy — a type of treatment that uses the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer — that began in October 2013.

Veterans face a 25% higher risk of developing lung cancer due to exposure to toxic substances during military service, according to the VA. (iStock)

Lung cancer poses a larger threat to the veteran community, who faces a 25% higher risk due to exposure to toxic substances during military service, according to Brahmer.

After four infusions of nivolumab (Opdivo) over a nine-week period, Ryan’s CT scans revealed a 65% reduction in tumor size, he told Fox News Digital.

PROSTATE CANCER CASES SPIKE IN THIS US STATE AS DOCTORS SHARE LIKELY REASON

“The 65% shrink was great and then that just kind of walked down – I was down to like 84% shrink,” he said. “And I was leading a normal life.”

Along with the immunotherapy, Ryan also underwent stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), a very targeted type of radiation, which resulted in the arrest of his tumor with virtually no side effects except for minor itching.

John Ryan (right) is pictured with Dr. Julie Brahmer, MD, of Johns Hopkins Medicine. (John Ryan)

Although his cancer improved, Ryan hit a major roadblock in 2022 when he began having trouble breathing and developed chronic pneumonitis, which he shared can occur in patients who receive immunotherapy for long periods of time.

“The psychological difficulty of staying indoors during COVID-19 was relatively easy, because I had a career being in nuclear submarines. And so, the claustrophobic thing wasn’t bad,” he reflected. 

“Get a good night’s sleep, shake it off, and the next day you’ll have some blessings you can at least get started with.”

“But what was pretty challenging for me was the unknown path forward, with increased inflammation and reduced lung capacity,” he added.

Ryan’s immunotherapy journey lasted 100 months, amassing hundreds of 160-mile round trips to Johns Hopkins and more than 225 infusions. Today, the veteran is officially cancer-free.

“What was pretty challenging for me was the unknown path forward, with increased inflammation and reduced lung capacity,” said Ryan (not pictured). (iStock)

Ryan shared that one of the best pieces of advice he received was from a Walter Reed nurse, who was frank about the state of his health.

“She said, ‘Let’s cut to the chase, sonny boy, if you don’t take this, you’re going to die.’ I said, ‘Well, let’s sign off on it, shall we?’” he repeated.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

“And she said, ‘You need to take this seriously. Don’t look for things to worry about, because you can get really wrapped around the axle with the pressure and the uncertainty.’”

The nurse also told Ryan, “Working yourself up into a frenzy has absolutely no value. Get a good night’s sleep, shake it off, and the next day you’ll have some blessings you can at least get started with.”

Ryan (pictured at left) advised other cancer patients to avoid working themselves up “into a frenzy” and to stay positive. (John Ryan; iStock)

The veteran also credited his faith for giving him the strength to beat cancer. “You’ve got to draw your hope and courage from somewhere. Faith was high,” he said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I had a father who was a military disciplinarian, so I would say the worst thing that can happen is not going to be a bother to me. I’m just going to move forward. And then being with quality people [gave me] the encouragement to do that.”

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health

In a 2022 CRI seminar, Dr. Brahmer spoke about the success of immunotherapy development, labeling it as the “new foundation” for lung cancer in various stages, as well as other thoracic cancers like mesothelioma.

“New therapies will continue to build on these successes,” she said. “We still have a lot of work to do in these settings. We can certainly improve therapy.”

Dr. Julie Brahmer shared in a seminar how immunotherapy has become the top treatment option in some lung cancer cases. (iStock)

Brahmer expressed that “there is hope” for long-term control of the disease and potentially even a cure.

“It’s very important [for patients] to ask, ‘Is immunotherapy right for me, regardless of the stage and type of cancer that I have?’” she said.

“You’ve got to draw your hope and courage from somewhere. Faith was high.”

Ryan told CRI that immunotherapy represents an “attractive potential for a cure without the serious side effects related to surgery, chemotherapy or radiation,” adding that clinical trials are essential for “safe and viable drug and treatment regimen approvals.”