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CIDRAP- US flu season picks up as European levels stay high (Jan. 13, 2017)

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  • CIDRAP- US flu season picks up as European levels stay high (Jan. 13, 2017)

    Source: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-persp...vels-stay-high

    US flu season picks up as European levels stay high
    Filed Under:
    Influenza, General
    Lisa Schnirring | News Editor | CIDRAP News
    | Jan 13, 2017
    The US flu season picked up more steam last week, with rising flu indicators and the first three pediatric flu deaths reported, as many countries in Europe grapple with an early, busy flu season led by the H3N2 strain that poses a serious threat to seniors.
    In its weekly update today, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said all 10 of its regions are above their baseline percentages of clinic visits for flulike illness for the first time, though the country as a whole has been above its national baseline for the marker for 4 straight weeks.
    The CDC said it expects flu levels to keep climbing over the coming weeks. "Anyone who has not gotten vaccinated yet this season should get vaccinated now," it said in its situation update.
    Test positives rise, geographical spread expands

    The percentage of respiratory specimens that tested positive for flu last week rose to 13.9% last week, up slightly from 13.7% the week before. Of influenza A viruses subtyped by public health labs last week, 97.5% were H3N2. Of 139 H3N2 viruses characterized since Oct 1, 132 (95%) are related to the Hong Kong strain included in the Northern Hemisphere flu vaccine this season.
    The three pediatric flu deaths all occurred during the last half of December. One involved H3N2, one was an unsubtyped influenza A, and one was linked to influenza B.
    Overall deaths from pneumonia and flu, a marker that often lags other flu indicators, remained below the national baseline.
    Hospitalization rates, however, continued to climb steadily, with an overall rate of 7.1 per 100,000 population, an increase from 4.9 the previous week. The level was much higher for people age 65 and older: 32.4 per 100,000, followed by adults ages 50 to 64 and children younger than 5.
    The CDC's map of flulike illness, another indicator based on clinic visits for flu, shows high activity for eight states (Arizona, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, and South Carolina), plus New York City and Puerto Rico.
    Geographically, flu was reported to be widespread in 21 states and Puerto Rico, up from 12 states the week before. Most of the states in which flu is widespread are in the east or west.
    Brisk flu activity continues in Europe

    In its update for the week ending Jan 8, European health officials said flu activity that started early this season is still at high or very high levels in 11 countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Serbia, and Switzerland.
    Overall, the percentage of respiratory samples that tested positive for flu was around 50% for the third consecutive week, according to the report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) European regional office.
    As in the United States, flu hospitalizations also increased markedly for seniors, and H3N2 is the predominant strain. "Excess all-cause mortality seems to have been increasing among the elderly, notably in France and Portugal," the report said. Of subtyped influenza A viruses, 99% were H3N2, known to severely affect older people.
    Though about two -thirds of the H3N2 viruses belong to a new genetic subclade, they are antigenically similar to the flu vaccine strain. Early vaccine effectiveness reports from Finland and Sweden put effectiveness for people age 65 and older at 26% and 24%, respectively, similar to seasons from 2011-2012 to 2014-2015, according to the report.
    "Given the partial effectiveness of influenza vaccines, rapid use of neuraminidase inhibitors for laboratory-confirmed or probable cases of influenza should be considered for vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients at risk of complications following an influenza virus infection," the groups recommended.
    In a statement earlier this week, the ECDC warned that although it's too early to gauge the impact on clinics and hospitals, continued dominance of H3N2 might put pressure on some national healthcare systems.
    See also:
    Jan 13 CDC flu situation update
    Jan 13 CDC FluView
    Jan 13 ECDC-WHO Flu News Europe report
    Jan 10 ECDC flu statement



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