anne schuchat, the acting director of the c.d.c., says immediate treatment is important not only for children but also for the older and less-resilient patients who die from the flu in shockingly high numbers. >> in a bad season, like 2014-15, 56,000 americans died from flu. we're on track right now to likely reach that level and potentially exceed it. >> reporter: she urges people to get their flu shot and stay home if sick. but at doctors' offices like this one in dallas, they used up the rapid flu test. >> we're running through them like water. >> reporter: the flood of flu has also outpacedly the supply of the antiviral flu treatment. some pharmacies have run out. in an effort to prevent more people from getting sick, researchers from columbia university are suggesting public spaces install special ultraviolet lightbulbs that kill the virus but are safe for humans. hospitals like this one in arkansas already use sterilizing u.v. robots. some sought timeless remedies-- orange juice sales are up for the first time in nearly five years. the flu is getting credit. last week, one out

anne schuchat is the acting director of the c.d.c., and she joins me now dr.uchat, welcome back to the idogram. so howpread is the flu right now in this country? >> this is a very difficult flu season. this p t week we gotre bad news. the doctor have its for flu are as high this week as we've seen dung the peak of the 2009 pandemic. we're not having a pandemic right now, but we have a very, very difficult flu season. >> woodruff: why is so bad this year? >> well, there are a coureple ons that we know of, and there are probably some more reasons that we need to learn about. one thing is it's an h3n2 fluenza season. that's the strain that's dominating. there are a couple other strains circulating.h3 seasons tend to be more severe. the other thing is that the influenzvaccine doesn't work as well against h3n2 strains some that's probably a seond factor. and the third factor is that tha ine is probably working even less well than usual against the h3n2. we had an early start to the season, and it's continuing full force right now. >> woodruff: are the particular pa

anne schuchat is acting director of the c.d.c. >> so far this year, 53 children have died from influenza. so it's proving to be a very difficult season. >> reporter: that's in part because this season, the most common virus is h3n2, which typically means more cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, especially among the elderly. on top of that, a report out of canada this week found that the vaccine is only been 17% effective against that strain of the flu. still, doctors and public health officials say vaccines are the best defense from the virus. >> we may have several weeks left in this year's flu season. >> reporter: there is widespread flu activity in every state across the country, except oregon and hawaii. in minnesota, where super bowl lii will be played in minneapolis, the name of the game is disinfecting. pink, who will perform the national anthem, has announced she has the flu. her husband tweeted, "she's sick as a dog," but it's not enough to give pink the blues. she will perform tomorrow night. now, if you do get the flu, antiviral medications can help, but it's recommended that

s acting director anne schuchat warns that deths from the current flu season are climbing. this year's flu outhas now reached as high as the peak of the 2009 swine flu pandemic and is likely to cause more deaths. the cdc says 63 children have died so far from flu-related symptoms this season and that number is expected to rise. we are now learning that last september's masve data breach at equifax exposed more customer data than was previously reported. documents given to the senate banking committee show that equifax not only exposed the names, social security numbers,i h dates, addresses, driver's license numbers, and credit card numbers of more than 145 million people, but tax identification numbers, email addresses, phone numbers, and credit card expiration dates were also cessed by online criminals. >> sreenivasan: finally tonight, we remember veteran actor reg e. cathey. he is best remembered as norman wilson from hbo's "the wire," and freddy the barbeque owner on netflix's "house of cards," a role that earned cathey an emmy in 2015.t he circumstances surrounding his

anne anne schuchat is the acting director of the c.d.c. >> it's very important if you notice that a person is getting better from their flu and then suddenly gets worse for them to seek medical attention. >> reporter: according to the c.d.c., this flu season continues to rival the worst in recent years with some shortages of antiviral medications. >> when we look at our hospitalizations in children, half of the children don't have underlying medical problems. so we urge parents to make sure their kids get vaccinated against flu every year. >> reporter: the c.d.c. stands by that recommendation, despite a report finding the effectiveness of the vaccine this season in canada against the most common strain has only been 17%. >> it wouldn't surprise me if we find the same thing here in the u.s. >> reporter: the rapid test for influenza is often negative, even when somebody has the flu. so the c.d.c. advises considering antiviral medication, like tamiflu, as soon as possible if a patient has flu symptoms. >> glor: interesting cases when the test is negative. i know concerning for a lot of patien

anne schuchat. >> if things continue like they are, we will have more hospitalizations this year. >> reporter: to help stop the people from getting sick, researchers from columbia university are recommending hospitals use extra ultraviolet lamp panels. it can kill the virus. at washington regional medical center in arkansas, uv robots are being used to sterilize patient's rooms. >> it's an added layer of protection for patients to ensure they have the safest place they can come. >> reporter: researchers are constantly examining new ways to combat the flu. a japanese drugmaker says it has developed a pill that can kill the virus within a day. but until that's approved for use here in the u.s., the flu vaccine and washing your hands remains the best lines of defense. >> all right, tara, thank you. >>> a father facing deportation is taking refuge this morning inside a phoenix church. jesus berrones has been ordered to surrender to immigration officials today. his 5-year-old son is battling leukemia and his wife is 5 months pregnant. manuel bojorquez is at the church that opened its door