Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/03/flu-scan-mar-01-2022
Flu Scan for Mar 01, 2022
Excess RSV, flu deaths; Latest H9N2 avian flu cases
Filed Under:
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV); Influenza, General; Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
Study highlights excess RSV, flu deaths in infants, elderly
A study yesterday in JAMA Network Open tracked excess mortality caused by both influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the United States from 1999 to 2018 and found that RSV caused more deaths in infants, while both viruses caused substantial mortality in elderly Americans.
This is the first study since 2009 to estimate mortality for both viruses in the United States. The authors used 50.3 million death certificates to create models that assessed weekly mortality fluctuations above a seasonal baseline associated with RSV and the flu, the authors said.
The mean ages of death was 72.2, and children under the age of 1 accounted for 1% of all deaths, while 73.4% of deaths were in adults 65 and older. A mean of 6,549 underlying respiratory deaths were associated with RSV annually, including 96 (95% confidence interval [CI], 92 to 99) deaths among children younger than 1 year. Flu, in contrast, accounted for 10,171 (95% CI, 9,652 to 10,691) excess deaths per year, with an average of 23 deaths a year (95% CI, 19 to 27) among children younger than 1 year.
RSV mortality was fivefold higher than flu for infants, but adults over 65 were much more likely to die from either virus compared with other age-groups. The highest mean mortality rate per 100,000 population for both viruses was among adults aged 65 years or older, at 14.7 (95% CI, 13.8 to 15.5) for RSV and 20.5 (95% CI, 19.4 to 21.5) for influenza, the authors said.
"Our estimates can be used to evaluate the completeness of death certificates, encourage testing for RSV in traditionally lower-risk populations, and provide a benchmark to evaluate the mortality benefits associated with interventions against respiratory viruses, including new or improved immunization strategies," the authors concluded.
Feb 28 JAMA Netw Open study
H9N2 avian flu infects 6 more in China
China has reported six more H9N2 avian flu infections in humans, Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said in its latest monthly avian influenza update.
The illnesses are part of a small but steady stream of infections involving the strain, which is relatively common in Asian poultry.
The virus is most common in children, who generally experience mild illness. Of the six cases, five are in children ages 5 and younger, while the other involves a 51-year-old woman. The patients are in four provinces, three in Anhui province and one each in Sichuan, Hubei, and Jiangxi. Illness onsets range from Oct 20, 2021, to Jan 18, 2022.
CHP's report didn't say how the people contracted the virus, but in the past investigators found that patients typically had contact with poultry or poultry environments.
Mar 1 Hong Kong CHP avian flu report
Flu Scan for Mar 01, 2022
Excess RSV, flu deaths; Latest H9N2 avian flu cases
Filed Under:
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV); Influenza, General; Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
Study highlights excess RSV, flu deaths in infants, elderly
A study yesterday in JAMA Network Open tracked excess mortality caused by both influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the United States from 1999 to 2018 and found that RSV caused more deaths in infants, while both viruses caused substantial mortality in elderly Americans.
This is the first study since 2009 to estimate mortality for both viruses in the United States. The authors used 50.3 million death certificates to create models that assessed weekly mortality fluctuations above a seasonal baseline associated with RSV and the flu, the authors said.
The mean ages of death was 72.2, and children under the age of 1 accounted for 1% of all deaths, while 73.4% of deaths were in adults 65 and older. A mean of 6,549 underlying respiratory deaths were associated with RSV annually, including 96 (95% confidence interval [CI], 92 to 99) deaths among children younger than 1 year. Flu, in contrast, accounted for 10,171 (95% CI, 9,652 to 10,691) excess deaths per year, with an average of 23 deaths a year (95% CI, 19 to 27) among children younger than 1 year.
RSV mortality was fivefold higher than flu for infants, but adults over 65 were much more likely to die from either virus compared with other age-groups. The highest mean mortality rate per 100,000 population for both viruses was among adults aged 65 years or older, at 14.7 (95% CI, 13.8 to 15.5) for RSV and 20.5 (95% CI, 19.4 to 21.5) for influenza, the authors said.
"Our estimates can be used to evaluate the completeness of death certificates, encourage testing for RSV in traditionally lower-risk populations, and provide a benchmark to evaluate the mortality benefits associated with interventions against respiratory viruses, including new or improved immunization strategies," the authors concluded.
Feb 28 JAMA Netw Open study
H9N2 avian flu infects 6 more in China
China has reported six more H9N2 avian flu infections in humans, Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said in its latest monthly avian influenza update.
The illnesses are part of a small but steady stream of infections involving the strain, which is relatively common in Asian poultry.
The virus is most common in children, who generally experience mild illness. Of the six cases, five are in children ages 5 and younger, while the other involves a 51-year-old woman. The patients are in four provinces, three in Anhui province and one each in Sichuan, Hubei, and Jiangxi. Illness onsets range from Oct 20, 2021, to Jan 18, 2022.
CHP's report didn't say how the people contracted the virus, but in the past investigators found that patients typically had contact with poultry or poultry environments.
Mar 1 Hong Kong CHP avian flu report
