Holiday Season Brings Surge in Flu Cases Across U.S.
The holiday season has arrived, and with it, a surge in influenza cases across the United States. According to the latest data from government health agencies, 40 states reported high or very high levels of cases last week.
"There’s a lot of flu out there," said Carrie Reed of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While several viruses cause fever, cough, sore throat, and other cold-like symptoms, the influenza virus is currently showing higher trends than other germs, Reed noted. Several strains of seasonal influenza are driving cases, but none is dominant.
Pediatric hospitals have been busy with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) cases since November, but "now influenza has joined the party," said Dr. Jason Newland, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "We’re really just starting. Our hospitals are full."
Where are Flu Cases Highest?
One indicator of influenza activity is the percentage of medical visits driven by flu-like symptoms. Last week, this level was roughly equal to the winter respiratory virus peak from last year, occurring around the same time. Reed pointed out that many people avoid doctor’s visits during the holidays if they can, which could skew late-December data with sudden-onset illnesses.
Flu activity last week was particularly intense in the South, Southwest, and West regions of the U.S. States reporting fewer cases were mainly in the northern Great Plains and New England.
So far this season, the CDC estimates at least 5.3 million influenza cases, 63,000 hospitalizations, and 2,700 deaths, including at least 11 children. It’s unclear whether this winter respiratory virus season will be worse than previous ones, but so far, it seems relatively typical for children, Newland noted.
How to Protect Yourself from Seasonal Illnesses
U.S. health officials recommend annual influenza vaccination for everyone aged 6 months and older, emphasizing it’s not too late to get vaccinated. They also advise avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth (as germs can spread this way), washing hands with soap and water, cleaning frequently touched surfaces, and avoiding close contact with sick people.
Other Germs Under Surveillance
The CDC is also monitoring an increase in norovirus illnesses, an unpleasant stomach virus, with 91 outbreaks reported in early December. They’re closely watching another type of influenza virus, the avian flu Type A H5N1, which caused 66 human cases in the U.S. last year but none in the last week. Cases are "fairly sporadic," and the general risk to the public remains low, Reed said, with almost all tied to direct contact with infected animals.
