# CDC reports U.S. influenza test positivity at 3.4% in week 38

> In the week ending 26 September, clinical laboratories tested 33,547 respiratory specimens and 1,151 were influenza-positive. CDC said national influenza activity remained low but was increasing.

- Canonical URL: https://newsverum.com/en/news/us-cdc-influenza-week38-september-26-2026
- Publisher: Newsverum
- Section: Health
- Country: United States
- Published: 2026-10-04T14:04:24+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-07T05:59:20+03:00
- Event / data period: 2026-09-26
- Other editions: [Türkçe](https://newsverum.com/tr/news/us-cdc-influenza-week38-september-26-2026.md), [العربية](https://newsverum.com/ar/news/us-cdc-influenza-week38-september-26-2026.md), [Français](https://newsverum.com/fr/news/us-cdc-influenza-week38-september-26-2026.md), [Español](https://newsverum.com/es/news/us-cdc-influenza-week38-september-26-2026.md), [Deutsch](https://newsverum.com/de/news/us-cdc-influenza-week38-september-26-2026.md), [Português](https://newsverum.com/pt/news/us-cdc-influenza-week38-september-26-2026.md)

In its week-38 FluView report published on 2 October, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 1,151 of 33,547 respiratory specimens tested by clinical laboratories were positive for influenza, a positivity rate of 3.4%. Of the positive specimens, 1,108 were influenza A (96.3%) and 43 were influenza B (3.7%). CDC characterized national seasonal influenza activity as low but increasing.

During the same week, 1.7% of visits reported to the outpatient network tracking influenza-like illness involved fever with cough or sore throat. That syndromic indicator is not a count of laboratory-confirmed influenza; the symptoms can also be caused by other respiratory viruses. The laboratory table counts tested specimens, not patients, and more than one specimen may come from a person.

## Data

### CDC U.S. influenza laboratory surveillance, 2026 epidemiologic week 38

National respiratory-specimen testing by clinical laboratories for the week ending 26 September, in CDC’s weekly report dated 2 October 2026.

Methodology: The 3.4% is 1,151 influenza-positive specimens among 33,547 respiratory specimens tested by clinical laboratories; it is not a count of cases or people. The A/B shares describe the distribution among positive specimens. CDC uses clinical-laboratory results to monitor whether activity is rising or falling; the report says national activity was low but increasing.

| label | value | unit | period | basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of respiratory specimens positive for influenza in clinical laboratories; 33,547 tested, week ending 26 September 2026 | 3.4 | percent | 2026-09-26 | observed |
| Respiratory specimens tested by clinical laboratories, weekly total | 33547 | count | 2026-09-26 | observed |
| Influenza-positive specimens in clinical laboratories, weekly total | 1151 | count | 2026-09-26 | observed |
| Influenza A share among influenza-positive clinical-laboratory specimens | 96.3 | percent | 2026-09-26 | observed |

Sources: <https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2026-week-38.html> · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/us-cdc-influenza-week38-september-26-2026/data/us-influenza-laboratory-week38?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/us-cdc-influenza-week38-september-26-2026/data/us-influenza-laboratory-week38?lang=en&format=csv)

## Sources

- [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), FluView](<https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2026-week-38.html>) (Source checked: 2026-10-04; Published: 2026-10-02)

## Correction history

- 2026-10-07T00:50:28+03:00: German and Portuguese editions and translations of the data and correction explanations have been added to this article.
- 2026-10-07T05:59:20+03:00: Data classification corrected: measure identifiers and types now follow the dataset rules. No figure, unit or date changed.

---

Cite the canonical URL above. [Editorial standards and corrections](https://newsverum.com/en/editorial)