Senator Chuck Schumer is calling for federal aid in fighting the flu in New York.

Schumer's office says more than 5,000 New Yorkers have been hospitalized with the flu this season.

He wants the Centers for Disease Control to dispatch a "domestic flu surveillance team" to study specific strains and treatments.

They would look at the hardest hit areas and detect changes in the virus, and also determine which specific strain is circulating.

"We have several strains, and they are treated in different ways. They're hitting different areas and different age groups. The CDC teams are experts at figuring this out quickly and telling us how to combat it," Schumer said.

Schumer says the CDC would work with state and city health officials to address the flu epidemic.