LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — In a report on flu activity in the state for the week ending February 4, the Arkansas Department of Health reported a low level of activity.

According to the ADH report, there was one flu-related death in The Natural State last week. Since October 2, 2022, over 21,000 positive influenza cases have been reported to the ADH by the state’s healthcare providers.

The report noted that among flu antigen tests that can differentiate between strains, 91 percent of cases were influenza A while 9 percent were type B. Arkansas has reported 138 flu-related deaths this season, including one pediatric case.

The average school absenteeism rate last week was 6 percent among Arkansas public school students. Twenty nursing homes and other institutions in the state have reported flu outbreaks this season.

The ADH stated that 75% of those patients were unvaccinated. The CDC estimates that thus far this flu season there have been 25 million illnesses across the nation, with 280,000 hospitalizations and 17,000 deaths. Nationally, the proportion of deaths reported to the National Center for Health Statistics attributed to pneumonia and influenza, P&I, is above the epidemic threshold this week.

The Arkansas flu reporting website is available here.