According to health experts on Friday, the U.S. flu season has begun and cases are on the rise throughout a large portion of the nation.
Lab test and ER visit rates, among other metrics, have sharply increased, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the Oregon Health Authority, 58 Oregonians were admitted to hospitals last week due to the flu.
For the past few weeks, it has been rising at a fairly constant rate. According to Alicia Budd of the CDC, we are undoubtedly in flu season at this point.
Last week, flu-like sickness was reported at high or very high levels in 13 states, roughly doubling from the previous week. One is Tennessee, where a surge of illnesses is affecting the Nashville region, according to Vanderbilt University infectious diseases specialist Dr. William Schaffner.
According to Schaffner, although the flu has been on the rise, it has really taken off in the past week. He pointed out that up to 25% of patients in a nearby clinic that tracks sickness patterns have flu-like symptoms.
Another early hot location is Louisiana.
According to Dr. Catherine O. Neal, an infectious diseases specialist at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, the state’s largest private hospital, this week is indeed that pivotal time when individuals are absent due to the flu. Parents often comment, “I have the flu and can’t come to work. Where can I get a flu test?”
Naturally, a variety of insects can induce flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, and sore throat. COVID-19 is one of them. Another is respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which can be harmful to young children and the elderly but is a common cause of cold-like symptoms.
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 have been on the decline since the summer, according to the most recent CDC statistics. According to CDC wastewater statistics, COVID-19 activity is high in the Midwest but moderate nationwide.
Hospitalizations for RSV began to increase before those for flu and appear to be leveling off, although they are still slightly more frequent than those for flu. According to wastewater statistics, RSV activity is generally low nationwide but high in the South.
Based on a number of factors, including the percentage of ED visits with a flu diagnosis at the time of discharge and test results for patients in hospitals and doctor’s offices, the CDC declared the start of flu season.
According to Budd, there doesn’t appear to be a dominant strain of the flu, and it’s too early in the season to predict how well the flu vaccine will work.
Although the flu season last winter was deemed moderate overall, it lasted for 21 weeks and the CDC predicted that 28,000 people died from the virus. With 205 pediatric deaths documented, it was exceptionally risky for kids. That figure was the highest for a typical flu season ever recorded.
Budd suggested the lengthy season was probably a contributing factor. Lack of flu shots was another factor. Among the children who died who were old enough for flu vaccinations and for whom their vaccination status was known 80% were not fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
On Thursday, February 15, 2024, a flu vaccination sign is up outside a grocery shop in Glenview, Illinois. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)AP
Vaccination rates for children are even lower this year. As of Dec. 7, about 41% of adults had received a flu vaccination, similar to the rate at the same point last year. The percentage is the same for kids, but for them that s a drop from a year ago, when 44% were vaccinated against the flu, according to CDC data.
Vaccination rates are lower still against COVID-19, with about 21% of adults and 11% of children up to date.
Flu experts suggest everyone get vaccinated, especially as people prepare to attend holiday gatherings where respiratory viruses can spread widely.
All those gatherings that are so heartwarming and fun and joyous are also an opportunity for this virus to spread person to person, Schaffner said. It s not too late to get vaccinated.
Even so, Louisiana s health department said in a statement Friday that it was actually backing away from recommending flu and COVID-19 vaccinations. An official wrote that the department s latest position is that people should talk to their doctors about whether the shots make sense for them.
A department spokeswoman, Emma Herrock, did not respond to follow-up questions about the policy. The state s surgeon general, Dr. Ralph Abraham, previously expressed concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Vaccines save lives and policies that dissuade people from getting protected are irresponsibly dangerous, public health experts and advocates say.
People are going to die because of this policy, said Jennifer Herricks, founder of a group called Louisiana Families for Vaccines.
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