Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

Influenza on the rise in Charleston County this season

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Doctors across the nation have warned, that the 2017-2018 flu season could be a harsh one.

And with the flu season just underway, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has some early numbers showing the spread of the virus and areas where confirmed cases are more prevalent.

In South Carolina, pregnant women are increasingly giving birth without prenatal care

More than 860 pregnant women gave birth in South Carolina last year having received no prenatal care — the highest number in more than 20 years, new health department data show.

By comparison, in 2013 the number of women receiving no prenatal care was much lower: 579.

General Interest

Nearly 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. are now obese, a new high 

Americans’ obesity rates have reached a new high-water mark. Again.

In 2015 and 2016, just short of 4 in 10 American adults had a body mass index that put them in obese territory.

In addition, just under 2 in 10 American children — those between 2 and 19 years of age — are now considered obese as well.