The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging hospitals to accelerate advanced testing of people they suspect may have bird flu.

In 2023, the 10 leading causes of death remained the same as in 2022. The top leading cause in 2023 was heart disease, followed by cancer and unintentional injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC officials say medical professionals are seeing more patients whose illness cannot be traced back to an infected animal or bird.

People hospitalized for flu should be tested for bird flu within 24 hours, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday, in an expansion of the agency's efforts to tackle increasing infections in humans.

The CDC is now calling for subtyping of influenza A viruses in all hospitalized patients -- and on an accelerated timeline, ideally within 24 hours. Nirav Shah, MD, JD, principal deputy director of the CDC,

A child ill with fever and conjunctivitis in San Francisco tested positive for bird flu but had no known source of transmission.

Rates of norovirus in that CDC system have reached levels at or above last season's peak in all regions of the country. Norovirus test positivity rates look to be the worst in the Midwest, in a grouping of states spanning Kansas through Michigan.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hospitals treating people for the flu should test them for avian influenza within 24 hours.

New CDC data indicates a rise in cases of norovirus, often colloquially referred to as "stomach flu." Test positivity has spiked.

Seasonal flu tends to spike from December to February. People who become infected tend to get a sore throat, cough, runny nose, headaches, body aches and sometimes fever. Many people describe flu symptoms as feeling like they’ve been hit by a truck.

South Carolina has a higher rate of flu than most other states, the latest health reports show. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, influenza activity levels in South Carolina are very high — only six other states share the same rating. Also, there are only six states with even high flu activity levels.