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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the federal public health agency, and it publishes weekly levels of respiratory illness activity for each state.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It publishes a level of respiratory illness activity for every state once a week, so each reading describes the most recent reported week and not the present day.
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56 listed, week ending Oct 31
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The CDC says a person cannot tell the difference between flu and COVID-19 by the symptoms alone, and that testing is needed to confirm a diagnosis.
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The CDC says flu is in general worse than the common cold, with symptoms that are typically more intense and begin more abruptly, while cold symptoms are usually milder.
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CDC classifies the severity of the 2026-2027 flu season so far as low across all ages, as of its report for the week ending October 31, 2026.
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Most people who get flu recover in a few days to less than two weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The CDC lists fever or feeling feverish and chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue as the symptoms of flu.
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Flu season in the United States usually occurs in the fall and winter, and flu activity most often peaks between December and February, according to the CDC.
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The CDC lists diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain as the most common symptoms of norovirus, with fever, headache and body aches as other symptoms.