The flu season has begun in the United States with an increase in cases in much of the country, health authorities said Friday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted significant increases in several things such as lab tests and emergency room visits.
“It has been increasing at a fairly steady rate over the last few weeks. So we are definitely in flu season,” said Alicia Budd of the CDC.
Thirteen states reported high or very high levels of flu-like illness last week, about double the previous week. One of them is Tennessee, where a spike of the disease is affecting the Nashville area, according to Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University.
“The flu has been rising, but just this last week it has exploded,” Schaffner said. He noted that at a local clinic that serves as an indicator of disease trends, up to a quarter of patients have flu symptoms.
Louisiana is another early focus.
“Just this week is that tipping point where people are out because of the flu,” said Catherine O’Neal, an infectious diseases doctor at the state’s largest private hospital, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. “You hear parents say, ‘I can’t go to work because of the flu,’ and ‘Where can I get a flu test?’”
Of course, there are several viruses that cause fever, cough, sore throat, and other flu-like symptoms. One is the COVID-19 virus. Another is respiratory syncytial virus which is a common cause of cold-like symptoms but can be dangerous for babies and the elderly.
The most recent data from the CDC shows that COVID-19 hospitalizations have been declining since the summer. COVID-19 activity is moderate nationally, but high in the west-central part of the country, according to wastewater data analyzed by the CDC.
Respiratory syncytial virus hospitalizations began increasing before the flu and are now showing signs of leveling off, but remain slightly more common than flu admissions. Overall, this virus activity is low nationally, but high in the south, wastewater data shows.
The CDC declared the start of flu season based on several indicators, including lab results for patients in hospitals and doctor’s offices, and the percentage of emergency department visits that had a discharge diagnosis of flu.
No flu strain appears to be dominant, and it’s too early in the season to know how good a match it will be with the flu vaccine, Budd said.
Last winter’s flu season was considered “moderate” overall, but it was long — 21 weeks — and the CDC estimated there were 28,000 flu-related deaths. It was unusually dangerous for children, with 205 pediatric deaths reported. That was the highest number ever reported for a conventional flu season.
The long season was probably a factor, Budd said. Another factor was the lack of flu vaccinations. Among children who died who were old enough to get a flu shot — and for whom their vaccination status was known — 80% were not fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
Vaccination rates for children are even lower this year. As of Dec. 7, about 41% of adults had received a flu vaccine, similar to the rate at the same point last year. The percentage is the same for children, but for them that is a drop from last year, when 44% were vaccinated against the flu, according to CDC data.
Vaccination rates are even lower against COVID-19, with about 21% of adults and 11% of children up to date.
Flu experts recommend that everyone get vaccinated, especially when preparing to attend holiday gatherings where respiratory viruses can spread widely.
“All those gatherings that are so comforting and fun and joyful are also an opportunity for this virus to spread from person to person,” Schaffner said. “It’s not too late to get vaccinated.”
However, Louisiana’s health department said in a statement Friday that it was actually stopping recommending flu and COVID-19 vaccines. One official wrote that the department’s latest position is that people should talk to their doctors about whether vaccines make sense for them.
A department spokeswoman, Emma Herrock, did not respond to a request for comment on the policy. The state’s health director, Dr. Ralph Abraham, had previously raised concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Vaccines save lives and policies that discourage people from protecting themselves are dangerously irresponsible, public health experts and advocates say.
“People are going to die because of this policy,” said Jennifer Herricks, founder of a group called Louisiana Families for Vaccines.
