Maryland's Flu Season Worst Since 2009, Officials Say

According to data from both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the 2012 flu season is shaping up to be the worst since the swine flu outbreak in 2009.

It places Maryland in the widespread category.

"The flu epidemic started first week of December,"said Dr. Cynthia Buchman-Webb, the emergency room chief at Union Memorial Hospital in north Baltimore.

The ER at the hospital has been flooded with patients that have flu-like symptoms, she said. Doctors have confirmed more than 100 cases since Dec. 1.
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