NEW YORK – The US flu season is underway Cases are increasing in large parts of the country, health authorities said on Friday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted a pointy increase in several measures, including laboratory tests and emergency room visits.
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Thirteen states reported high or very high numbers of flu-like illnesses last week, about double the extent the week before. One of those is Tennessee, where the Nashville area is experiencing a surge in illness, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University.
“The flu has been increasing, but just last week it exploded,” Schaffner said. He noted that at a neighborhood clinic, which serves as an indicator of disease trends, as much as 1 / 4 of patients have flu symptoms.
Louisiana is one other early hotspot.
“This week in particular is really the tipping point where people are out with the flu,” Dr. Catherine O'Neal, an infectious disease doctor on the state's largest private hospital, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. “You hear parents say, 'I can't come to work because of the flu' and 'Where can I get a flu test?'”
Of course, there are a lot of pathogens that cause fever, cough, sore throat and other flu-like symptoms. One of them is COVID-19. Another is RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, which is a typical reason behind cold-like symptoms but could be dangerous for infants and the elderly.
The latest CDC Data show that hospitalizations because of COVID-19 have decreased because the summer. According to CDC wastewater data, COVID-19 activity is moderate nationwide but high within the Midwest.
RSV hospitalizations began rising before the flu and at the moment are showing signs of possible abatement, but remain barely more common than flu admissions. Overall, RSV activity is low nationwide but high within the South, wastewater data show.
The CDC declared the beginning of flu season based on several indicators, including laboratory results from patients in hospitals and doctors' offices and the proportion of emergency room visits that were diagnosed with flu at discharge.
No flu strain appears to be dominant, and it's too early within the season to know the way well the flu vaccine will match it, Budd said.
Last winter's flu season was considered “moderate” overall, nevertheless it was long – 21 weeks – and the CDC estimated the variety of flu-related deaths at 28,000. It was unusually dangerous for kids, with 205 pediatric deaths reported. That was the best number ever reported in a conventional flu season.
The long season was likely an element, Budd said. Another factor was the shortage of flu vaccinations. Of the kids who died who were sufficiently old to get a flu shot – and whose vaccination status was known – 80% weren’t fully vaccinated. accordingly the CDC.
Childhood vaccination rates are even lower this yr. As of Dec. 7, about 41% of adults had received a flu shot, much like the identical time last yr. The percentage is identical for kids, but for them it’s a decrease in comparison with last yr, when 44% were vaccinated against flu, they are saying CDC data.
Vaccination rates against COVID-19 are even lower: about 21% of adults and 11% of kids have already been vaccinated.
Flu experts recommend that everybody get vaccinated, especially if persons are preparing for holiday gatherings where respiratory viruses can spread widely.
“All of these gatherings, which are so heartwarming and fun and joyful, are also an opportunity for this virus to spread from person to person,” Schaffner said. “It’s not too late to get vaccinated.”
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