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ATLANTA — If the flu were a storm cloud, the influenza virus is hovering over America's Bread Basket on its way to the Southwest, according to data provided through the U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported that 4.3% of patient visits reported through ILINet were due to influenza-like illness, above the national baseline of 2.2%. But as the map indicates, influenza rates are declining up and down the East Coast and is most virulent in Texas and states west.

ATLANTA — Health kiosk maker SoloHealth has joined a health program led by former president Bill Clinton, the company said Wednesday.

ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported a slight drop in influenza-like illnesses across the country, but even so the season is still going strong. The proportion of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness for the week ended Jan. 12 was 4.6%, above the national baseline of 2.2%

ATLANTA — The worst of the flu season may be over, at least for those on the East Coast. In a late morning press conference with reporters on Friday, Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, "We are seeing a decrease in some regions." 

Just don't tell that to anyone living in New York, Boston or Chicago, at least not before slipping on a facemask first.  

ATLANTA — The worst of the flu season may be over, at least for those in the South. In a late morning press conference with reporters, Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, "We are seeing a decrease in some regions."

ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday announced the launch of its CDC Influenza application for clinicians and other healthcare professionals on the Apple platform. The app makes it easy to access CDC’s latest recommendations and influenza activity updates on an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, the agency stated.

An Android support will be added in a future update, CDC noted. 

ATLANTA — Goody, a maker of hair accessories and styling tools, is supporting the 19th annual “Today Show “Holiday Gift Drive, through a donation of more than $200,000 hairstyling accessories to benefit children, teens and their families across the country this holiday season. The donation was made on “The Today Show” that aired on Friday.

ATLANTA — The influenza season is officially underway as flu incidence is already above the national threshold, Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters during a teleconference Monday. "This is the earliest regular flu season we've had in nearly a decade, since the 2003-2004 flu season," he said. "That was an early and severe flu year, and while flu is always unpredictable, the early nature of the cases as well as the specific strains we're seeing suggest that this could be a bad flu year."

ATLANTA — PowderWorks has introduced a new facial exfoliant that is powder-based and remains a powder even after it is massaged onto the face, promising to leave skin with a clean feel and no residue buildup.

 LAKELAND, Fla. — Publix on Thursday announced six new officer positions that will begin work in 2013 across human resources, information technology and retail operations. 

“I am pleased we have so many leaders ready to take the next step in their careers,” stated Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw. “Our ability to promote from within highly talented individuals and perpetuate our Publix culture is a hallmark of our success.”

ATLANTA — McKesson on Tuesday announced it has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Emendo, whose CapPlan Predictive Capacity Planning solution equips healthcare providers to optimize operational performance by intelligently forecasting patient demand. 

CapPlan also supports clinicians in their delivery of quality patient care by using a patient-centered, enterprisewide view of activity to make real-time adjustments for patient flow and staffed capacity allocations.

ATLANTA, Ga. — SoloHealth on Thursday announced it has plans in place to expand its FDA-approved SoloHealth Station health-and-wellness digital kiosks to more than 2,500 store locations by mid-2013, scaling to more than 4,000 by 2014.