January 18, 2019 (CDC)
Seasonal influenza activity continues to be elevated in the United States – in the vast majority of the country, the flu is widespread . H1N1 viruses have been the most common nationally, although H3N2 viruses are the most prevalent in the southeastern region of the U.S. It is expected that flu activity will stay elevated in the weeks to come, according to the CDC.
Below are some key flu indicators for the week ending January 12, 2019 provided by the CDC:
Influenza-like Illness (ILI) Surveillance: the number of people who went to their health care provider (HCP) for ILI was 3.1% which is above the national baseline of 2.2%. In the last five flu seasons, the highest percent of visits to HCPs due to flu-like symptoms ranged from 3.6% and 7.5%.
ILI State Activity Indicator Map:
- High ILI activity: Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Oklahoma
- Moderate ILI activity: New York City and 13 states (Alabama, Arizona, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Nevada, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Vermont
- Low ILI activity: California, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin
- Minimal ILI activity: The District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 18 states (Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Flu-Associated Hospitalizations: A total, overall rate of 12.4 lab-confirmed, influenza-associated hospitalizations per 100,000 people in the U.S have been reported since October 1, 2018.
Mortality Surveillance: Deaths associated with pneumonia and influenza was 6.9% during the week ending January 5, 2019 (week 1). This is lower than the ‘epidemic threshold’ of 7.0% by week 1.
Pediatric Deaths: So far for the 2018-2019 flu season, a total of 19 flu-related pediatric deaths have been reported.