The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention documented 15 million incident cases of influenza for the week ending December 20th.  This was an increase of 2 million over the previous week.  A total of 150,000 were hospitalized during the week, up 30,000.  According to death certificate data, there were 9,300 fatalities attributed to influenza infection, approximately 2,000 higher than the previous week.  Most cases are attributed to influenza A H3N2 strain. Seasonal vaccines are available and highly recommended, especially for those working directly with chickens.