Weekly Influenza News

CDC Flu News for March 15, 2019

68 influenza-associated pediatric deaths confirmed during the 2018-2019 flu season
crocus beginning of spring
(Precision Vaccinations News)

According to new information published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on March 14, 2019, the USA remains in the ‘peak’ flu season. 

Thirty states are experiencing high influenza-like-illness (ILI) activity. 

The CDC says during week #10 of the 2018-2019 flu season, influenza A(H1N1), influenza A(H3N2), and influenza B viruses continue to co-circulate. 

Additionally, the CDC confirmed 68 influenza-associated pediatric deaths during the 2018-2019 season. Four of these 68 pediatric deaths were reported during week #10 of the current flu season. 

During the 2017-2018 flu season, a total of 185 pediatric deaths had been reported to CDC. 

And, the CDC is now estimating the current flu season’s impact through March 9, 2019, as follows:

  • 25,500,000 – 29,300,000 symptomatic illnesses
  • 11,800,000 – 13,800,000 medical visits
  • 327,000 – 394,000 hospitalizations
  • 21,500 - 35,500 flu-related deaths 

Additionally, the CDC reported the key influenza indicators for the week ending March 2, 2019, which are as follows: 

  • The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for influenza viruses in clinical laboratories decreased slightly. Nationally, during week 10, influenza A(H3) viruses were reported more frequently than influenza A(H1N1) viruses.
  • During the most recent three weeks, influenza A(H3) viruses were reported more frequently than influenza A(H1N1) viruses in HHS Regions 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10.
  • The majority of influenza viruses characterized antigenically are similar to the cell-grown reference viruses representing the 2018–2019 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccine viruses.
  • The vast majority of influenza viruses tested (>99%) show susceptibility to oseltamivir and peramivir. All influenza viruses tested showed susceptibility to zanamivir.
  • The proportion of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) decreased slightly to 4.5%, which is above the national baseline of 2.2%.
  • All 10 regions reported ILI at or above their region-specific baseline level. 11 states experienced moderate ILI activity; New York City, the District of Columbia and five states experienced low ILI activity; Puerto Rico and four states experienced minimal ILI activity, and the U.S. Virgin Islands had insufficient data.
  • The geographic spread of influenza in Puerto Rico and 46 states was reported as widespread; 4 states reported regional activity; the District of Columbia reported local activity; the U.S. Virgin Islands reported sporadic activity, and Guam did not report.
  • A cumulative rate of 41.3 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations per 100,000 population was reported. The highest hospitalization rate is among adults 65 years and older (123.9 hospitalizations per 100,000 population).
  • The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) was below the system-specific epidemic threshold in the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Mortality Surveillance System.

Recent influenza news:

In the USA, antiviral medications and various flu vaccines are available in most pharmacies. 

The CDC Vaccine Price List provides private sector vaccine prices for general information. And, flu vaccine discounts can be found here.         

Vaccines, like any medicine, can have side effects. Vaccine patients are encouraged to report negative side effects of vaccines to the CDC.

Note:  All CDC data are preliminary and may change as more reports are received. The CDC uses a model to estimate the numbers of influenza illnesses, medical visits, and hospitalizations in the United States.

 

Our Trust Standards: Medical Advisory Committee

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