NATION IN BRIEF : NATIONWIDE : Outbreak of Flu Labeled an Epidemic
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Deaths attributed to the flu reached epidemic levels in late December and the first week of January in the United States, the Federal Centers for Disease Control reported. CDC spokesman Larry Schonberger said the flu was linked to about 7% of deaths--mostly among the elderly and chronically ill--in 121 cities monitored in the two-week period. That exceeded the projected 6.2% rate, and an epidemic is declared when the death rate is appreciably higher than that projected.
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