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Health officials across the country are seeing a recent wave of illnesses caused by more serious flu.
The same is true for Midland County, where Health Director Fred Yanoski said the most distressing strain, known as Type A H3N2, is on the rise.
"The prevalence of influenza A (H3) viruses continues to increase nationally and represents, for the last week, nearly two-thirds of the influenza A viruses." -types reported to the CDC, "he said. "This strain is currently not the predominant strain for us locally in Midland County, but the most recent data show that it is on the rise."
H3N2 tends to cause more hospitalizations and deaths, particularly in the elderly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A less severe strain was the most common cause of influenza. But in the past two weeks, more diseases have been linked to the most cruel strain, according to the Associated Press.
In Midland County, the severity of this year's flu season remains significantly lower than that seen in Midland County during last year's flu season, Yanoski said. But, he does not believe that the flu season has peaked here.
"We have not yet seen any signs that influenza activity has reached its peak since our locally recorded influenza activity was at the highest level of last week's season," he said. he declares.
The flu was reported to have spread to 48 states last week, up from 49, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in its latest report on this winter's flu season. Inflation forecasters in the federal agency estimate that there is a 90% chance that the flu season has reached its climax.
Last season, about 80,000 Americans died from the flu and its complications, the highest death toll in at least four decades. According to the CDC, in recent years, the number of deaths related to influenza has ranged from 12,000 to 56,000.
CDC officials estimate that there have been about 20,000 to 30,000 influenza-related deaths so far this winter.
They also believe that there have been about 300,000 influenza-related hospitalizations and about 25 million cases of influenza.
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