Nov. 14, 2023 – In what appears like a return to a typical pre-pandemic flu season, instances nationwide proceed to slowly climb this fall, nationwide infectious illness skilled and pharmacy information exhibits.
Flu remains to be nothing to mess with, and officers are selling the flu exercise outcomes as a reminder for individuals to get their flu pictures as quickly as potential – earlier than an anticipated peak early subsequent 12 months.
Seasonal influenza exercise is growing in most components of the nation, primarily within the South Central, Southeast, and West Coast areas, the CDC mentioned in updated numbers launched Monday. Within the prior week, the variety of lab assessments constructive for the flu was up 3%, and the variety of outpatient visits for respiratory sickness was up 2.9%.
Numbers from a nationwide pharmacy chain exhibits the identical general sluggish enhance in instances and the very best flu exercise throughout the southern United States. As of Nov. 4, 2023, Puerto Rico, Mississippi, and Louisiana had probably the most flu exercise, the 2023-2024 Walgreens Flu Index exhibits.
“Presently, it is rather low exercise. There’s not a lot of a flu season but,” mentioned Pedro Piedra, MD, a professor of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor School of Drugs in Houston.
The foremost virus circulating now could be respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and never influenza. “However that does not imply that the flu is just not going to return. Viruses are available waves,” Piedra mentioned. “Till then, that is the very best time to be vaccinated and to be getting ready for the flu season.”
The variety of weekly flu hospital admissions can also be growing, with 1,962 individuals hospitalized prior to now week of CDC surveillance. Admissions are up barely, in comparison with the week earlier than, with seniors and kids youthful than 4 accounting for probably the most instances. The company experiences that one baby has died from the flu up to now this season.
“Whereas it’s early days and flu season is all the time unpredictable, our historic information counsel this might be a return to a typical two-wave flu season, the place exercise begins to peak in December and reaches its highest level in February,” Kevin Ban, MD, Walgreens’ chief medical officer, mentioned in an announcement.
Index flu exercise relies on modifications within the variety of antiviral drugs used to deal with influenza each week throughout Walgreens and Duane Reade drugstore areas within the U.S. Information is offered by state and area as effectively.
“The index is just not supposed for example flu severity, however relatively, based mostly on this technique, to point out which populations are experiencing the very best incidence of influenza inside the US and Puerto Rico every week,” an organization launch mentioned.
Piedra cautioned that different infections might trigger individuals to buy antiviral drugs. Laboratory-confirmed flu an infection information, like numbers offered by the CDC, could be extra exact, he mentioned.
