As children return to school and families resume their post-holiday routines, some states, particularly in the Southeast and parts of the West, are expected to experience major influenza outbreaks, doctors said.
Thirty-three states are reporting high to very high levels of cases of the flu-like illness. 4,500 influenza-related deathsThat includes 20 children since the 2023-24 season began in October.
Dr. David Jantz, director of critical care services at the University of New Orleans Medical Center, said the flu season in Louisiana began around Thanksgiving, and the state has one of the highest outbreaks in the nation. . About 20% of his critically ill patients have influenza.
Dr. Jantz, who treats adults, said influenza cases are “growing much faster than they were after Thanksgiving.” “No matter how you look at it, this is shaping up to be the worst flu season here in Louisiana since at least the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.”
It was one of the most severe influenza seasons in decades. An estimated 12,000 people died nationwide.. At the time, H1N1 was a new strain of influenza that hit children especially hard. Since then, H1N1 has experienced seasonal outbreaks, including this year.
Jantz warned that other states also need to prepare for the flu virus, which is spreading rapidly at the same time as the coronavirus and other respiratory viruses.
“This is not just a Southern problem,” he said.
Many states in the Northeast and Midwest are already reporting increases.
Around this time last year, the number of influenza infections had already peaked and was on the decline. Currently, influenza levels continue to rise steadily into the new year.
nevertheless Emergency department visits for school-age children While the flu went down last week while kids were home on winter break, the overall flu isn't going anywhere. Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview Wednesday that this season seems “pretty typical.”
“We're still trending up, but we're not seeing a huge uptick,” Cohen said.
The CDC estimates that at least 7.1 million people will get sick with the flu this season and 73,000 people will be hospitalized. At least 14,732 people were hospitalized with influenza in the week ending December 23.
Cohen said there is no sign yet that an increase in influenza or other respiratory illnesses like the coronavirus is straining the hospital system.
Most people who are hospitalized and sick enough to die from influenza are over 65 years old.
Children can also get seriously ill from the flu, and it's especially dangerous for children under 5 years old. The CDC reported a significant increase in flu-related ER visits among infants 1 year and younger during the week ending Saturday.
North Carolina, where the flu season is “very active,” has reported three child deaths this year, already equaling the number of children who died in the state during last year's entire flu season. He says he will. State Department of Health and Human Services.
“We're definitely seeing a spike in influenza cases right now,” says Dr. Jonathan Miller, director of pediatric primary care at Nemours Children's Health. “During the holidays, we had a lot of sick kids, a lot of sick families.” The Nemours system includes children's hospitals and dozens of pediatricians in Delaware, Florida and Pennsylvania. contained.
Dr. Amina Ahmed, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Atrium Health Levine Children's in Charlotte, North Carolina, said she is also noticing a steady increase in pediatric influenza cases. Ahmed said these young patients typically come to the hospital complaining of fever, cough, runny nose and sore throat.
Ahmed and Miller of Nemours said anecdotally, it appears many children sick enough to be hospitalized with the flu did not receive this year's flu shot.
“Almost all of these children are unvaccinated,” Ahmed said. “Influenza vaccine uptake has not been as strong as we had hoped.”
according to CDC investigation, only 43.9% of children ages 6 months to 17 years received a flu shot this year. The survey estimated that a similar proportion of adults (43.8%) said they had been vaccinated.
That rate tends to be lower in states like Louisiana, where Jantz estimates only 30 to 40 percent have gotten the flu vaccine.
Cohen said this year's flu shot appears to be reliably covering the circulating influenza strains, primarily the influenza A strain, H1N1. And she said there's still time before she gets her shot.
Flu season is “many weeks away” and “maybe even months away,” she said.
Along with vaccination, the CDC recommends:
- Get tested for influenza or the new coronavirus when you feel unwell. Antiviral drugs are available for both diseases and are effective when administered early.
- Practice regular hand washing.
- If you are sick, stay home and stay away from others.
