NEW YORK • The U.S. flu season keeps getting worse. Health officials say 7.5% of outpatient medical visits last week were due to flu-like illnesses. That’s as high as the peak of the 201718 flu season and higher than any season since.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday released its latest flu update. It says 44 states reported high or very high flu activity last week. That might not bode well for the near future.

It’s likely there was more spread of respiratory viruses during Thanksgiving travel.