US Flu Cases on the Rise

As if you’re not already increasing your facility cleaning and disinfecting efforts, chances are high you’ll soon be doing everything in your power to help protect building residents from the flu. After a slow start, seasonal flu activity in the U.S. is rising with the eastern and central parts of the country seeing the largest increases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report.

Among clinical tests of people exhibiting flu-like symptoms, 3.5% tested positive for influenza. The majority of influenza viruses detected are A(H3N2), which are occurring in children and young adults ages 5-24.

The percentage of outpatient visits due to respiratory illness has trended upward to 2.7% in recent weeks and is now above the national baseline. Last week, 1,057 patients were admitted to the hospital with influenza.

Health experts say it is not too late to get vaccinated against the flu. Early indications hint that less people have gotten the flu vaccination this season compared to last season.

Receiving a flu vaccine this season may not stop people from becoming infected with the virus, as researchers found one of the main circulating influenza viruses has changed and the current flu vaccines don’t match it well anymore, CNN reports. However, the vaccine will still prevent against severe illness and help keep people out of the hospital.

The vaccine mismatch may help explain an outbreak of flu at the University of Michigan last month that affected more than 700 people. More than 26% of those who tested positive had been vaccinated against the flu. Although the vaccine protected them from serious illness, it did not prevent them from contracting the A(H3N2) strain.