Flu still widespread but easing in some states, CDC says

February 4, 2013 by Steven Reinberg, Healthday Reporter in Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Flu still widespread but easing in some states, CDC says

45 children have died from flu this season; seniors also especially vulnerable.

(HealthDay)—Continuing a trend that emerged late last month, flu activity remains high across the United States but there are reports that the number of infections may be leveling off in some regions of the country, federal health officials reported Friday.

For the week ending Jan. 26, the U.S. reported that:

  • Twenty-four and New York City were reporting high levels of activity (Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming).
  • Thirteen states and the District of Columbia were reporting moderate (Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia).
  • Four states were experiencing low activity (Kentucky, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin), and nine states were experiencing minimal activity (Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee).
The , which got an early start in November in southeastern states, appeared to be easing somewhat in the South, Southeast, New England and the Midwest regions of the country. But infections were rising in the West.

Hospitalizations and deaths—key indicators of a flu season's severity—increased again during the week ending Jan. 26. People 65 and older and young children are being hit especially hard this flu season.

Forty-five children have died from the flu this season, with eight deaths reported last week, the said.

There's no system to report adult deaths from flu, but the agency said the number of deaths remains higher than the threshold used to declare a .

The predominant strain of circulating flu this season continues to be influenza A H3N2, which typically poses bigger problems for young children and the elderly, according to the CDC. But, predominant strains can vary across states and regions of the country, the agency noted.

The 45 pediatric deaths so far compare to 153 deaths reported during the 2003-04 season, which was another H3N2 season, the agency said.

An estimated 36,000 people die from the flu and its complications in a typical season, according to the CDC. From 1976 to 2006, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the ranged from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people.

Flu season usually peaks in late January or early February.

The best defense against the flu remains the flu vaccine and it's not too late to get vaccinated, the CDC said. The agency recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get vaccinated.

This year's vaccine appears to be well matched for the circulating flu strains, the CDC said. A recent report put the vaccine's effectiveness at 62 percent. No vaccine is 100 percent effective. But if flu strikes, vaccination often results in milder illness, the agency said.

People can visit this U.S. government website to see where vaccine is available in their area.

As of Jan. 25, 134.2 million doses of flu vaccine had been distributed to vaccine providers in the United States for the 2012-2013 .

Two antiviral medications, Tamiflu and Relenza, can reduce flu symptoms and the course of the disease. To be effective, however, they must be started within 48 hours after symptoms appear.

Flu symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, head and body aches, and runny nose. People at particular risk for flu and its complications are pregnant women, those 65 and older and anyone with a chronic illness. The CDC urges these people to get the , which is available as an injection or nasal spray and in a stronger dose for seniors.

More information: For more on flu, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Related Stories
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

WHO voices deep concern over spread of SARS-like virus

The World Health Organization voiced deep concern Thursday over the SARS-like virus that has killed 22 people in less than a year, saying it might potentially spread more widely between humans.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created 2 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

WHO: Scientific red tape mars efforts vs. virus

International efforts to combat a new pneumonia-like virus that has now killed 22 people are being slowed by unclear rules and competition for the potentially profitable rights to disease samples, the head ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created 14 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Shortage of key drug hampering U.S. efforts to control TB, report says

(HealthDay)—A shortage of a critical tuberculosis drug has hampered the efforts of health departments across the United States to contain the spread of the highly infectious lung disease, federal officials ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created 15 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Heart healthy lifestyle may cut kidney disease patients' risk of kidney failure

Maintaining a heart healthy lifestyle may also help protect chronic kidney disease patients from developing kidney failure and dying prematurely, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the Am ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created 15 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Flu vaccine also linked to narcolepsy in adults, study reports

Finnish researchers unveiled new data Thursday to link the Pandemrix flu vaccine to a higher risk of the sleeping disorder narcolepsy in adults.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created 16 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Alzheimer's disease, the soft target of the euthanasia debate

(Medical Xpress)—The way Alzheimer's disease is portrayed by advocacy groups and the media is having undue influence on the euthanasia debate, according to a Deakin University nursing ethics professor.

Depression raises diabetics' risk of severe low blood sugar episodes

(Medical Xpress)—Patients with diabetes who are depressed are much more likely to develop episodes of dangerously low blood sugars, or hypoglycemia, than are those who are not depressed, a new study has ...

Reducing experimental inflammatory arthritis

(Medical Xpress)—UCD researchers led by Conway Fellow, Professor David Brayden in UCD School of Veterinary Medicine have successfully reduced inflammation in the swollen arthritic knees of a murine model using a novel nanoparticle.

Ground breaking cancer research finds immune system link

(Medical Xpress)—Curtin University researchers have found evidence that targeting specific cells in the body can reverse the effects of cancer on the immune system.

Patenting the human genome

Can human genes be patented? That was the question posed by Alan J. Snyder, vice president and associate provost for research and graduate studies at Lehigh, and Lee Kaplan, scientific director of cellular and molecular genetics ...

Researcher identifies breast cancer fighting hormone

Transformative research from Western University has identified new hormones in the body which may suppress breast cancer and stimulate the regression of breast tumors.