The flu is raging in the United States during the busy holiday and travel season, with New York among the hardest-hit states.
For the week ending December 20, New York had the highest number of flu infections ever recorded in a single week, 71,123, according to the New York Department of Health.
“This is a 38 percent increase from the previous week. There have been 189,312 positive flu cases reported in New York so far this season,” the state health department added.
Along with New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Colorado and Rhode Island, they have reported “very high” numbers of outpatient visits to medical providers complaining of flu-like symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Another 10 states have a “high” number of flu-related checks this year, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, New Mexico, Idaho and Michigan.
The CDC has also concluded that infections are increasing in 47 states. The only state where cases are declining is Hawaii.
“Seasonal influenza activity continues to increase across the country. The timing of this increased activity is similar to several previous seasons,” the statement said. CDC said in a bulletin on December 19.
Doctors and other health officials are also concerned that the current flu vaccine will not fully protect against the mutated H3N2 influenza A virus.
However, they are confident that getting a vaccine will still give you more protection than not.
“So whether we’re simply seeing more cases because this clade K flu virus is evading immunity, and therefore more people are susceptible to infection, or whether it’s really causing more severe illness on a case-by-case basis is still something that’s not entirely clear,” said Andrew Pekosz, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center of Excellence in Influenza Research and Response.
“But what is clear is that cases are increasing and we are seeing a lot of flu. Cases are increasing across the country, and that is a trend that we are confident will continue into the new year,” he concluded.
