US Flu Season Very Early: 7 States Report High Activity, CDC Says
The CDC says seven US states reported high flu activity last week, up from two the week before. Louisiana is hit hardest, and doctors expect Thanksgiving travel to speed the spread of flu and other respiratory viruses.
The US flu season is very early this year, and it is intensifying quickly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In its update on Friday, the agency said seven states reported high flu activity last week, up from two states the week before.
More than 3% of doctors' office visits last week were for flu-like illness. That signals the season is underway.
Louisiana is seeing the worst of it so far. The surge began in the South and West. States reporting high activity include California, Louisiana, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.
Dr. Fred Lopez, an infectious diseases specialist at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, said flu season "is taking off and it's taking off in a direction that's only likely to increase in the next month or two." He added: "If you haven't been vaccinated, you should get vaccinated now."
The CDC estimates at least 2.6 million illnesses, 36,000 hospitalizations and 2,100 deaths so far this season are tied to flu.
How this season compares
Early activity is higher than usual for this point in the year. The CDC's update said it is not clear whether the season will be worse than others.
Still, Dr. Anna Durbin of Johns Hopkins University noted during a recent media briefing that the flu hospitalization rate in mid-October was the highest seen that early in an autumn in more than 15 years.
Louisiana often sees early surges. Lopez said that is at least partly due to low vaccination rates, high poverty rates and challenges people face in accessing healthcare.
Last winter's season surged in late December. New York City health officials called it the most intense in 20 years. It was basically over by late March, and the CDC estimated at least 32 million illnesses, 380,000 hospitalizations and 24,000 deaths.
Vaccine and the circulating virus
Most illnesses so far are caused by a version of an A H1N1 flu virus with mutations that could more easily slip past the immune system's defenses. Data so far suggests the current vaccine "can recognize" the circulating virus and work against it, said Andrew Pekosz, an immunology expert at Johns Hopkins University.
Health officials will not know for months exactly how effective this year's vaccine is. "Right now there is no cause for concern," Pekosz said.
Doctors expect flu and other respiratory viruses to spread faster as people travel and gather for Thanksgiving later this month. People with significant symptoms should not get vaccinated while ill, because the immune system is occupied. Lopez said people should still get a shot if they already had an infection this fall, since the vaccine protects against three kinds of flu virus and more than one strain often circulates.
"As we prepare to gather with family and friends over the upcoming holidays, getting vaccinated is especially important," said Dr. Nicole Iovine, a University of Florida-affiliated infectious disease specialist, in an emailed statement this week.
