The holiday season has coincided with a significant flu outbreak for many individuals across the United States, with health authorities reporting that 40 states exhibited high or very high levels of influenza-related illnesses last week, based on the latest statistics.
“There’s a considerable amount of flu circulating,” remarked Carrie Reed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It’s important to note that various viruses can lead to symptoms such as fever, cough, and sore throat, similar to those caused by the flu. COVID-19 is one of these viruses, along with RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, which is a typical cause of cold-like symptoms but can pose a serious threat to infants and the elderly.
According to Reed, the latest hospitalization figures and other indicators reveal that flu cases are on the rise, outpacing other respiratory viruses. Multiple seasonal flu strains are contributing to this surge, with no single strain being predominant at this point.
Pediatric hospitals have faced heavy caseloads since November due to RSV, but Dr. Jason Newland, an infectious diseases expert at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, stated that “influenza has now joined the party.” He noted, “We are really starting to see a surge in cases. Our hospitals are quite busy.”
Tracking flu activity can be gauged through the rate of doctor visits attributed to flu-like symptoms. Last week, these rates reached levels comparable to last winter’s peak of respiratory virus cases, which occurred around the same period. Reed cautioned that holiday travel and gatherings typically lead many people to forgo medical appointments, potentially skewing the data from late December due to sudden illness onset.
Flu activity has been especially high in the Southern, Southwestern, and Western regions of the U.S., while states in the northern Great Plains and New England have reported lower levels of related illnesses.
Thus far this flu season, the CDC estimates that there have been at least 5.3 million flu illnesses, resulting in 63,000 hospitalizations and 2,700 deaths, including at least 11 children.
It remains uncertain whether this winter’s respiratory virus season will surpass previous ones in severity; however, according to Newland, it appears to be fairly standard, particularly for pediatric cases.
For those looking to safeguard themselves from seasonal illnesses, U.S. health officials recommend that anyone aged six months and older receive an annual flu vaccination, emphasizing that it’s not too late to get vaccinated.
Additionally, they advise minimizing contact with the eyes, nose, and mouth to reduce the spread of germs, as well as washing hands thoroughly, disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, and maintaining distance from those who are ill.
The CDC is also monitoring a spike in norovirus infections, a particularly unpleasant stomach illness, having recorded 91 outbreaks early in December. Furthermore, they are keeping an eye on another variant of influenza, the Type A H5N1 bird flu virus. Last year, there were 66 reported human cases of this strain in the U.S., although no new cases have emerged in the past week.
Reed noted that these occurrences are “fairly sporadic,” and stated that the overall risk to the public is still considered low, with most cases linked to direct contact with infected animals and no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
