Case counts for influenza continue to climb in Maine, but the total numbers still remain well below the peaks reported in early to mid-December of 2022, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The latest Maine CDC data, which covers the week ending Dec. 30, 2023, showed a single new death from the disease, but indicated 23 hospitalizations due to influenza.  

Maine CDC’s trending graphs show the number overall continues to edge its way higher, but it is far below the peak from last season, recorded in December 2022, which according to the chart was around 175 hospitalizations.

The latest data shows a similar trend with outpatient cases of the disease. Expressed as a percentage, the week of Dec. 30 showed nearly 4% of outpatient cases were related to influenza. Again, the peak reported last year went as high as 10%.

The latest data shows 663 positive tests for influenza in the week of Dec. 30, also following the increase trend over recent weeks.