Rate of doctor visits for flu-like symptoms this late in the season hits 20-year high, CDC data reveal
- Percentage of doctors’ visits two weeks ago was 4.4 percent, the CDC says
- It’s the highest number for this time of year since the CDC began tracking this data in 1998
- While flu activity has peaked, the CDC expects activity to remain ‘elevated’ through April
- Doctors say this is because cases of a more severe second strain have been rising over the last three weeks
It may be officially spring, but the flu season is still dragging on, lasting much longer than expected, federal health officials say.
The percentage of visits to the doctor for flu-like symptoms two weeks ago was 4.4 percent, according to the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It’s the highest number for this time of year since 1998, which is when the CDC began tracking this data, reported The Wall Street Journal.
This is also double the baseline 2.2 percent, meaning the supposed end of the season may not come for at least another month, if not longer.
Despite being milder than last year, doctors say this season is lasting longer due to cases of an aggressive second strain rising over the last three weeks.
A new CDC report reveals the percentage of doctors’ visits for flu-like symptoms, two weeks ago was 4.4 percent – the highest number since the CDC began tracking this data in 1998
According to the CDC’s latest figures, flu activity for the 2018-19 season is still higher than usual.
Currently, 44 states are reporting widespread flu activity and 26 states are experiencing high activity.
Additionally, the CDC reported eight more flu-related pediatric deaths, bringing the total up to 76.
While more than expected, it’s considerably lower than 179 children who died the previous season, 80 percent of whom were not vaccinated.
‘When you get to spring, people stop thinking about the flu because they think the flu is a wintertime illness,’ Lynnette Brammer, head of the CDC’s Domestic Influenza Surveillance team told The Journal. ‘There’s still a lot of flu out there.’
Flu season generally starts in October and peaks between January and February.
This year was no exception, with around five percent of all doctors’ visits in the second half of February being for flu-like symptoms, reported The Journal.
The CDC confirmed this in its report, but added that ‘flu activity is expected to remain elevated nationally through April.’
Most of the flu activity has been attributed to the H1N1 virus, a subtype of influenza A that is milder.
However, H3N2 has been emerging as a secondary strain since early February and spreading quickly.
This was the strain that was responsible for the severe 2017-18 flu season, during which nearly 80,000 Americans died.
It’s still too early to say how many people have died this year, but estimated deaths range between 25,000 and 41,500, according to the Journal.
The flu kills between 12,000 and 56,000 people in the US every year, according to the CDC, so this season stills falls within that average.
‘The CDC expects flu activity to remain elevated for a number of weeks, suggesting this season is likely to be relatively long,’ the report states.