FRIDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Continuing a trend that
emerged late last month, flu activity remains high across the
United States but there are reports that the number of infections
may be leveling off in some regions of the country, federal health
officials reported Friday.
For the week ending Jan. 26, the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention reported that:
- Twenty-four states and New York City were reporting high levels
of flu activity (Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii,
Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New
Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon,
Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming).
- Thirteen states and the District of Columbia were reporting
moderate flu activity (Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi,
North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia).
- Four states were experiencing low activity (Kentucky, Ohio,
South Dakota, and Wisconsin), and nine states were experiencing
minimal activity (Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Montana, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee).
The flu season, which got an early start in November in
southeastern states, appeared to be easing somewhat in the South,
Southeast, New England and the Midwest regions of the country. But
infections were rising in the West.
Hospitalizations and deaths -- key indicators of a flu season's
severity -- increased again during the week ending Jan. 26. People
65 and older and young children are being hit especially hard this
flu season.
Forty-five children have died from the flu this season, with
eight deaths reported last week, the CDC said.
There's no system to report adult deaths from flu, but the
agency said the number of deaths remains higher than the threshold
used to declare a flu epidemic.
The predominant strain of circulating flu this season continues
to be influenza A H3N2, which typically poses bigger problems for
young children and the elderly, according to the CDC. But,
predominant strains can vary across states and regions of the
country, the agency noted.
The 45 pediatric deaths so far compare to 153 deaths reported
during the 2003-04 season, which was another H3N2 season, the
agency said.
An estimated 36,000 people die from the flu and its
complications in a typical season, according to the CDC. From 1976
to 2006, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States
ranged from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000
people.
Flu season usually peaks in late January or early February.
The best defense against the flu remains the flu vaccine and
it's not too late to get vaccinated, the CDC said. The agency
recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get
vaccinated.
This year's vaccine appears to be well matched for the
circulating flu strains, the CDC said. A recent report put the
vaccine's effectiveness at 62 percent. No vaccine is 100 percent
effective. But if flu strikes, vaccination often results in milder
illness, the agency said.
People can visit this
U.S.
government websiteto see where vaccine is available in their
area.
As of Jan. 25, 134.2 million doses of flu vaccine had been
distributed to vaccine providers in the United States for the
2012-2013 season.
Two antiviral medications, Tamiflu and Relenza, can reduce flu
symptoms and the course of the disease. To be effective, however,
they must be started within 48 hours after symptoms appear.
Flu symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, head and body aches,
and runny nose. People at particular risk for flu and its
complications are pregnant women, those 65 and older and anyone
with a chronic illness. The CDC urges these people to get the flu
vaccine, which is available as an injection or nasal spray and in a
stronger dose for seniors.
More information
For more on flu, visit the
U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.