NEW YORK (AP) — Flu season is underway in the United States. Rapidly increasing incidents Health officials announced Friday that infections were widespread in large parts of the country.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted a sharp increase in some measures, including laboratory tests and emergency room visits.
“It’s been increasing at a pretty steady pace over the last few weeks. Yes, we are indeed in flu season,” said Alicia Budd of the CDC.
Thirteen states reported high or very high levels of influenza-like illness last week, nearly double the number from the previous week. One state is Tennessee, where cases are surging in the Nashville area, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University.
“Flu cases are on the rise, but they’ve exploded in the last week alone,” Schaffner said. He noted that as many as a quarter of patients at local clinics are showing flu symptoms, which serves as an indicator of disease trends.
Louisiana is also an early hotspot.
“This week is really the turning point where people are going out with the flu,” said Dr. Catherine O’Neill, an infectious disease doctor at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton, the state’s largest private hospital. Rouge. “I hear parents saying, “I can’t go to work because I have the flu,” and “Where can I get a flu test?”
Of course, there are many bugs that can cause fever, cough, sore throat, and other flu-like symptoms. One is the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19). The other is RSV (RS virus). This is a common cause of cold-like symptoms, but can be dangerous for infants and the elderly.
Latest CDC data SHOW Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have been declining since the summer. CDC wastewater data shows COVID-19 activity is moderate nationally but high in the Midwest.
Hospitalizations due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) began to increase before the influenza epidemic, and although they are now showing signs of leveling off, they are still slightly higher than hospitalizations due to influenza. Overall, wastewater data shows RSV activity is low nationally but high in the South.
The CDC determined the start of flu season based on several metrics, including patient test results at hospitals and doctors’ offices and the percentage of emergency department visits diagnosed with the flu and discharged.
There doesn’t seem to be a dominant flu strain, and it’s too early in the season to know how effective the flu vaccine will be, Budd said.
Considering last winter’s influenza season “Moderate” Overall, the long 21-week period led the CDC to estimate 28,000 influenza-related deaths. This is unusually dangerous for children, with 205 reported child deaths. This was the highest number ever reported for a traditional flu season.
Budd said the long season likely played a role. Another factor was the lack of influenza vaccination. Of the children who died and who were old enough to receive the influenza vaccine and whose vaccination status was known, 80% were not fully vaccinated. According to CDC.
This year, child immunization rates have fallen even further. As of Dec. 7, about 41% of adults had received a flu shot, which was similar to the rate at the same time last year. This rate is the same for children, but 44% of children received a flu shot, down from a year ago, the report said. CDC data.
Vaccination rates against COVID-19 are even lower, with about 21% of adults and 11% of children vaccinated to date.
Influenza experts recommend everyone get vaccinated, especially those preparing to attend holiday gatherings where the respiratory virus can be widely spread.
“All these really warm, fun, fun gatherings are also an opportunity for this virus to spread from person to person,” Schaffner said. “It’s not too late to get vaccinated.”
Still, the Louisiana Department of Health said in a statement Friday that it is actually backing away from recommending influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations. One official wrote that the department’s latest position is that people should talk to their doctor about whether the shot makes sense for them.
Department spokeswoman Emma Hurlock did not respond to further questions about the policy. The state’s Surgeon General, Dr. Ralph Abraham, has previously expressed concerns about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.
Vaccines save lives, but policies that discourage people from being protected are irresponsible and dangerous, public health experts and advocates say.
“People are going to die because of this policy,” said Jennifer Herricks, founder of the Louisiana Family Vaccine Movement.
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Associated Press data journalist Nikki Foster contributed.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Education Media Group. AP is solely responsible for all content.
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This article has been corrected to show that COVID-19 activity is moderate, rather than low, nationwide.
