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Flu reports remain elevated this week, although well below the peak that occurred around the holidays.

Patient visits for respiratory illnesses dropped to 3.1%, still above the national baseline of 2.9%. To date, 126 children have died of the flu this season. More than 90% of these deaths occurred in children that were not vaccinated against the flu. Of all clinical lab tests, 10.5% were positive for influenza.

Our flu surveillance product will continue to focus on the severity of the flu rather than the geographic spread. This information is reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by each state’s health department ranging on a scale from “minimal” to “very high” levels of activity.

States and territories reporting flu activity include the following:

High (7 states, Washington, D.C. and New York City): Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio and Wyoming.

Moderate (4 states): Alaska, Massachusetts, New Jersey and South Dakota.

Low (20 states): Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Minimal (19 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Marianas Islands): Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.

Here are a few flu facts:

The CDC recommends all people older than six months of age get the seasonal flu vaccine, either via an injection or nasal spray. Consult with your doctor or pharmacist to find out about flu vaccine side-effects, precautions and vaccine options – there are several multi-strain variations available this year.

Due to certain health restrictions, not everyone is eligible to receive the flu shot. For those of you who are not able to get a flu shot, there are other things you can do to minimize your risk for contracting the flu, as well as giving it to others:

Avoid close contact with those who are sick.
Avoid exposing others when you are sick. Stay home from work or school if you are exhibiting symptoms.
Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.
Wash your hands frequently.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Lastly, getting a flu shot is not a guarantee that you won`t end up getting the flu, but it can help you from catching it as easily and can even help keep symptoms from being as bad. The CDC has urged doctors to prescribe one or a combination of the three-available prescription antiviral drugs to patients with flu-like symptoms. If given early enough, there is evidence that antivirals can lessen the intensity and duration of influenza symptoms.
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Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Weekly Flu Update: Season