Weekly Flu Update: Flu Remains Very Elevated.

The holiday season was not kind to fighting the flu, as much of the country remains in the grip of a bad flu season.

Patient visits for respiratory illnesses decreased slightly to 7.2%, above the national baseline of 3%. Eight pediatric deaths this week could be attributed to the flu, bringing the total to 17, and 1.9% of all deaths were attributable to the flu. Of all clinical lab tests, nearly one-quarter (24.7%) were positive for influenza.
   
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 (25 states, Puerto Rico and New York City): Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

• Maryland reported high flu levels last week, and has climbed one spot this week.
• All other states listed above reported very high flu levels in the previous week.

High (16 states and Washington, D.C.): Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.

• California, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin all reported high flu activity last week.
• Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky and North Dakota all trended downward from “very high” to “high” flu activity.
• Nevada had insufficient data last week.

Moderate (5 states): Arizona, Mississippi, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.

• Vermont climbed one rung from “low” to “moderate” this week.
• West Virginia saw moderate flu activity last week as well.
• Arizona, Mississippi and Wyoming all saw their flu activity drop one level from “high” to “moderate.”

Low (3 states): Montana, South Dakota and Utah.

• Montana reported low flu activity last week.
• South Dakota went from moderate to low, a drop of one level.
• Utah saw its flu activity drop by two levels from high to low.

Minimal: The U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Marianas Islands.

• The Virgin Islands saw minimal flu activity last week, while the Northern Marianas dropped from low to minimal flu activity.

Alaska 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