The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the deaths in the country rose sharply from pneumonia and influenza, but a spokesperson said it is not a third wave of swine flu but only a "a blip we're checking out."

The weekly report along with New York City hospital admission records and the American College Health Association's data on visits to campus health centers showed that the flu is declining across the country.

The report showed that 8.3 percent of all deaths in 122 cities were caused by pneumonia or flu. The normal level for the season is at 7.7 percent. The 8.3 percent is higher than it was even in late November when the flu was at its peak. The normal level of that season is about 6 percent.

The researcher said that most of the deaths were from pneumonia and were among the elderly and also said that there is a possibility that some cities had delayed reporting deaths over the holidays. And that made the data look artificially high.

No state in the country has reported a widespread of the flu. The flu is clustered in the Southeast of the country like it was during the spread last fall. Most of the samples tested were swine flu. Many people in America have received seasonal flu shots in the panic over swine flu last fall.