CDC: Flu Season Far From Over
(2 Feb 2018) Health officials say flu season continues to get worse, and there are weeks of suffering ahead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported that 42 states had heavy flu-related patient traffic last week, up from 39 the week before. "Most of the country is still seeing intense activity and we do have a lot of hot spots on the East Coast," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, acting director for the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. "Things are starting to ease up a little bit on the western states and that is where influenza season began a little bit earlier. But that said it is very famous to say that Influenza is unpredictable. We're not out of the woods the Western states could see increased activity in the future. And it's not too late to get a flu vaccine if you haven't already gotten one this year." Experts had thought this season might be bad, but its intensity has surprised everyone from veteran researchers to suffering patients. "This year we are seeing the H3N2 influenza virus dominate years where that strain dominates tend to be more severe. We've also seen that the vaccine against the H3N2 viruses tends to be less effective than vaccine against other strains. Those two combinations probably account for some of the severity that we're seeing," Schuchat said. Last week, 1 in 14 visits to doctors and clinics were for symptoms of the flu. That's the highest level since the swine flu pandemic in 2009. Young children and the elderly are at greatest risk from flu and its complications. "Sadly 53 children have died from influenza so far this season and we expect that number to go up," Schuchat said. This is still not the worst recent flu season in measures of flu-related deaths, but health officials are watching the numbers continue to climb. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the latest numbers Friday. They show what was seen across the nation for the week ending January 27. "Unfortunately, we are aware of spot shortages of antiviral medicines in different places around the country where influenza activity is high. But speaking with the manufacturers we know that there is supply available of of antiviral medicines. We're encouraging pharmacies to have more antiviral medicine available on the shelf," Schucat said. The CDC is urging parent to be persistent, and call around if you make sure the pharmacy has the product. Flu is a contagious respiratory illness, spread by a virus. It can cause a miserable but relatively mild illness in many people, but more a more severe illness in others. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
