News from the FDA/CDC

Decline in U.S. flu activity puts end of season within sight

Publish date: April 10, 2017
By
Richard Franki
MDedge News

 

Outpatient visits for influenza were down again in the United States during the week ending April 1, and the number of states at the highest level of flu activity dropped from seven to four, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The national proportion of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) was 2.9% for the week ending April 1, compared with 3.2% the week before, the CDC’s Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network reported. The national baseline level is 2.2%.

Influenza-like illness activity level, week ending April 1, 2017
On the state level, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Tennessee were at level 10 on the CDC’s 1-10 scale of ILI activity. Other states in the “high” range (8-10) were Alabama, New York, and North Carolina at level 9 and Rhode Island and Virginia at level 8. The “minimal” end of the scale (1-3) included 27 states and Puerto Rico, which was up from 24 states and Puerto Rico the week before, CDC data show.

There were 7 flu-related pediatric deaths reported for the week ending April 1 – six of the deaths occurred in previous weeks – which brings the total for the 2016-2017 season to 68, the CDC said. The largest share of those deaths by age group has been among 5- to 11-year-olds (36.8%), followed by those aged 12-17 years (26.5%), 6-23 months (16.2%), 2-4 years (14.7%), and 0-5 months (5.9%).

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