The flu season remains near its peak, with a slight dip in activity seen this week.
Patient visits for respiratory illnesses increased to 6.8%, above the national baseline of 3%. To date, 86 children have died of the flu this season, including 18 this week. Of all clinical lab tests, about 26.9% were positive for influenza.
Forty-nine of the 54 reporting jurisdictions (states, territories, and major cities) have reported moderate or higher activity. In addition, 3.0% of all deaths in the U.S. this past week were attributable to the flu.
Our flu surveillance product will continue to focus on the severity of the flu rather than the geographic spread. This information is reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by each state’s health department, ranging on a scale from “minimal” to “very high” levels of activity.
States and territories reporting flu include the following activity and trends:
Very High (26 states, Washington, D.C., and New York City): Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
• All of the states were at Very High last week and remain there.
High (16 states): Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas and West Virginia.
• Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and West Virginia remained at High after being at that level last week.
• Alabama, California, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas dropped one level from Very High to High.
Moderate (5 states): Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
• Nevada and Wyoming dropped one step, from High-level activity last week to Moderate this week.
• North Dakota and Utah remained at Moderate level activity from last week to this week.
• Montana jumped two steps from Minimal to Moderate.
Low (1 state, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands): Alaska.
• All three jurisdictions saw Low-level activity last week.
Minimal (1 state and the Northern Mariana Islands): Hawaii.
• Both jurisdictions reported Minimal activity last week.
Vermont did not report.
Flu Facts:
The CDC recommends that everyone older than six months get the seasonal flu vaccine, either via an injection or nasal spray. Consult with your doctor or pharmacist to learn about flu vaccine side effects, precautions, and vaccine options—several multi-strain variations are available this year.
Due to certain health restrictions, not everyone is eligible to receive the flu shot. If you cannot get vaccinated, there are other ways to minimize your risk of contracting and spreading the flu:
• Avoid close contact with those who are sick.
• If you are sick, avoid exposing others by staying home from work or school.
• Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Lastly, getting a flu shot is not a guarantee that you won’t catch the flu, but it can help reduce the risk and severity of symptoms. The CDC urges doctors to prescribe one or a combination of the three available prescription antiviral drugs to patients with flu-like symptoms. If given early enough, antivirals can lessen the intensity and duration of influenza symptoms.
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Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention