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2017-2018 Influenza Season, Update for Week 14*
(Week ending Saturday, 04/07/2018)
Key Points
Although national influenza activity has been past peak for eight weeks, it remains elevated and
geographically widespread within several regions of the continental United States including the Northeast.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported only a minimum weekly
decrease (from 2.5 to 2.4%) in the percentage of people seeing their health care provider with influenzalike-illness
(ILI), which continues to decline from the high percentage (7.7 %) observed during the peak
weeks of the current 2017-2018 flu season.
Influenza activity is also past peak in Connecticut, but has increased during the last several weeks, in part,
due to increased circulation of influenza B viruses. A small second wave of influenza activity can be
observed in most surveillance system graphs, as discussed below. This second wave of activity is especially
apparent in the increasing percentage of patients with influenza-like illness presenting to outpatient
providers and hospital emergency departments, along with the increasing number of laboratory confirmed
flu cases and flu-associated hospitalizations. We have also received reports of new flu-associated deaths
during the past week in Connecticut.
Classification of Connecticut geographic activity continues at widespread**.
Although influenza A (H3N2) viruses have been predominate within the US and Connecticut for most of the
2017-2018 season, numbers of influenza B viruses are now circulating in greater numbers than influenza A
viruses.
As elevated flu activity will likely continue into May in Connecticut, there is still time to obtain your flu
vaccine and take other important steps to prevent influenza-related illness and hospitalization:
...
A total of 3,022 hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza admitted between August 27 and
April 7, 2018 have been reported to date. Of these 3,022 reports, 1,655 were Type A (subtype unspecified),
543 were Type A (H3N2), 36 were Type A (2009 H1N1), 782 were influenza B virus, and 6 of unknown
type. A total of 138 influenza-associated deaths (97 associated with flu A, 40 with flu B, 1 of unknown type)
have been reported to date. Seven new flu-associated deaths have been reported during this week. Of the
138 deaths reported to date, 115 were among patients greater than 65 years of age, 13 were 50-64 years of
age, 6 were 25-49 years of age, 1 was between 19-24 years of age, and 3 were <18 years of age. The current
season total of 138 deaths is above the range of influenza-associated deaths (1-65) reported during the
previous five seasons (Figures 4 & 5).
...
(Week ending Saturday, 04/07/2018)
Key Points
Although national influenza activity has been past peak for eight weeks, it remains elevated and
geographically widespread within several regions of the continental United States including the Northeast.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported only a minimum weekly
decrease (from 2.5 to 2.4%) in the percentage of people seeing their health care provider with influenzalike-illness
(ILI), which continues to decline from the high percentage (7.7 %) observed during the peak
weeks of the current 2017-2018 flu season.
Influenza activity is also past peak in Connecticut, but has increased during the last several weeks, in part,
due to increased circulation of influenza B viruses. A small second wave of influenza activity can be
observed in most surveillance system graphs, as discussed below. This second wave of activity is especially
apparent in the increasing percentage of patients with influenza-like illness presenting to outpatient
providers and hospital emergency departments, along with the increasing number of laboratory confirmed
flu cases and flu-associated hospitalizations. We have also received reports of new flu-associated deaths
during the past week in Connecticut.
Classification of Connecticut geographic activity continues at widespread**.
Although influenza A (H3N2) viruses have been predominate within the US and Connecticut for most of the
2017-2018 season, numbers of influenza B viruses are now circulating in greater numbers than influenza A
viruses.
As elevated flu activity will likely continue into May in Connecticut, there is still time to obtain your flu
vaccine and take other important steps to prevent influenza-related illness and hospitalization:
...
A total of 3,022 hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza admitted between August 27 and
April 7, 2018 have been reported to date. Of these 3,022 reports, 1,655 were Type A (subtype unspecified),
543 were Type A (H3N2), 36 were Type A (2009 H1N1), 782 were influenza B virus, and 6 of unknown
type. A total of 138 influenza-associated deaths (97 associated with flu A, 40 with flu B, 1 of unknown type)
have been reported to date. Seven new flu-associated deaths have been reported during this week. Of the
138 deaths reported to date, 115 were among patients greater than 65 years of age, 13 were 50-64 years of
age, 6 were 25-49 years of age, 1 was between 19-24 years of age, and 3 were <18 years of age. The current
season total of 138 deaths is above the range of influenza-associated deaths (1-65) reported during the
previous five seasons (Figures 4 & 5).
...
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