A more severe influenza strain starting to spread on a large scale: CDC

FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019 (HealthDay News) – Americans are not out of their way as the flu season continues to spread across the country, health officials said Friday.

One of the major changes that has occurred is circulating viruses. At the beginning of the influenza season, the predominant strain was influenza A H1N1, but now a more serious strain, influenza A H3N2, accounts for almost half of all new cases, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. .

"It seems like we're going from a H1 wave to a H3 wave," said Lynnette Brammer, head of the CDC's influenza surveillance team. "There is still a lot of flu coming."

On the plus side, this year's vaccine is more effective than last year. According to Brammer, this vaccine is 62% effective against H1N1 and 44% against H3N2.

For children aged 6 months to 17 years, the overall effectiveness of the vaccine is 61%, according to the CDC.

Immunizing children is crucial. This season, the flu has killed 41 children.

Behind this statistic lie true tragedies and heartbreaks:

• In Lowell, Mbad., CBS News Puthiraksmey Paak, 4, died on February 16 from flu complications. His heartbroken father, Sopheak Paak, said his family had recently moved from Cambodia to the United States in search of a better life.
• In San Diego, NBC News The first child died this year from flu in this city. Julie Leyva Campos, 14, succumbed to the disease on 12 February. Her family members stated that she had not been vaccinated against the flu and that she was suffering from an unspecified medical condition.
• And on February 18th, 8-year-old Martin Ray "Chucky" Campbell Jr. of Rockport, Texas, died a few hours after being diagnosed with the flu. NBC News reported. "He had a lot to say and now it's quite quiet," said Jessica Solis, Campbell's aunt NBC.

Thus, Brammer still encourages unvaccinated people to get vaccinated. "As long as the flu is circulating and you have not been vaccinated, we recommend you get vaccinated," she said.

In terms of the severity of the season, Brammer said that no flu season is sweet. The severity of the season is simply a comparison between the seasons. "There is no good flu season," she said.

The human toll of influenza in adults – many of whom are frail elderly – is high. So far this year, 22,300 adults have died of the flu, said Brammer, and more than 250,000 people have been hospitalized.

That's still a lot less than the number of deaths last year, which had exceeded 80,000. But the flu is still present, so more people will be hospitalized and die, Brammer said.

If more people were vaccinated, the number of deaths and hospitalizations could be significantly reduced, she noted.

Brammer pointed out that if you get vaccinated but again catch the flu, your illness will be less severe than if you had not been vaccinated. It is also important for people around babies and older adults to be vaccinated against the flu.

"The family vaccination provides a ring of protection around the baby or any other family member at high risk of getting the flu," she said.

The CDC pointed out that all people over 6 months old should be vaccinated against the flu.

Last year, vaccination would have prevented 7.1 million illnesses, 3.7 million medical visits, 109,000 hospitalizations and 8,000 deaths, the CDC reported.

As of February 16, influenza was prevalent in 48 states and 30 states were experiencing high levels of the disease. In addition, hospitalizations are increasing, have discovered the researchers of the CDC.

According to the CDC, the flu is present in New York and in 30 states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mbadachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey and New Mexico. , New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

If you catch the flu, antiviral medications such as Tamiflu and Relenza can make your condition worse. But if you're sick, the CDC recommends staying home so you do not infect others.

More information

To learn more about influenza, visit the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.