Second wave of flu virus happening now — CDC

Just when we all thought we were done with this winter's deadly flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that another influenza strain could be about to hit the nation. "All of us are hoping it's not as bad as the main peak", said Dr. Sherman Alter, the The Director of Infectious Diseases at Dayton Children's Hospital.

Doctors say that the B-strain flu viruses tend to be more severe for younger children.

There are two main strands of the Flu.

Winter is over but flu season is not!

Is flu season is over? "It's just that it's less than it was a couple weeks ago".

Yet parents might want to continue their vigilance with regard to younger children, CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund suggested. "Unfortunately, we don't know what the influenza B wave will look like", she said.

As of Saturday, A strains had accounted for about 71 percent of flu cases in Pennsylvania in the 2017-2018 flu season, with B strains accounting for about 26 percent.

Though doctors are seeing more cases of Influenze B at the start of spring, Bolly says there is no need for patients who've had the flu shot this year to get another one.

Still, this second wave is not entirely unexpected, according to Nordlund.

Seventeen states reported widespread flu activity for the week ending March 11.

Which is worse, influenza A or B? "Based on some research the CDC has done, both flu viruses can cause severe illness".

The good news, says a report in Time magazine, is that influenza B viruses typically respond better to vaccines than influenza A viruses.

Influenza B's tendency to affect children more severely makes a late-season outbreak highly concerning.

Almost a quarter-million people have been confirmed as flu victims this year, and 133 children have already perished in the 2017-2018 season alone.

So after speaking with the experts and looking at the raw data we can verify: flu season is not over quite yet.

It's been the most active flu season in nearly a decade, killing more than 300 people in North Carolina.

Nordlund said it's not too late to get a flu vaccine and reminds people to cover their coughs, wash their hands and stay home if they're sick. Did we miss anything in our reporting? Do you know someone else we should interview for this story? Is there another story you'd like us to VERIFY?