June 13, 2013
CIDRAP
In a snapshot of the flu season that just wrapped up, the US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today that 2012-13 made its
mark for several reasons, including a peak percentage of doctors' visits
for flulike illness that, at 6.1%, was one of the highest since the
current reporting system began in 1997. Writing in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR),
the CDC said the rate of flu hospitalizations in older people was the
highest since the agency started collecting that information in the
2005-06 season. The number of pediatric flu deaths topped all years
since data collection began, except for the 2009 H1N1 months. Flu
activity, as measured by percentage of respiratory specimens testing
positive, peaked early, by the week ending Dec 29. The H3N2 virus
predominated until the end of February, when influenza B edged it out.
The CDC warned that although flu activity is typically low during the
summer, cases and sporadic
outbreaks continue to be detected. It urged clinicians to keep
their guard up and consider novel influenza viruses, especially in sick
patients who have had swine exposure and in those who get sick after
traveling to China.
Jun 14 MMWR report
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/avianflu/news/jun1313fluscan.html
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