Flu Sweeping Across America 2017

Yes, it's barely being covered in the news. 5 people have died here in Oklahoma, this flu season (articles on the news board). But I didn't even see or hear any news articles until the 3rd person died.

One person was under 18, the other 4 were over 65.

FluMom, that is an interesting question? I would also like to know that info.

the real news - while everyone is wrapped up in politics on our FluTalk here - Flu is all over the United States and there is not a single news story on mainstream.

How bad is it?  It's bad.  It amazes me people have totally forgotten what the most dangerous predator we have on the planet - the Flu and other viruses. There haven't even been public health announcement to help people deal with this or any discussion if this years vaccine even helps.

What is the story?

The geographic spread of influenza in Puerto Rico and 37 states was reported as widespread; Guam and 12 states reported regional activity; the District of Columbia and one state reported local activity; and the U.S. Virgin Islands reported no activity.

The results of tests performed by public health laboratories, as well as the age group distribution of influenza positive tests, during the current week are summarized below.

	Week 3	Data Cumulative since October 2, 2016 (Week 40)
No. of specimens tested	2,096	29,277
No. of positive specimens*	1,150	10,529
Positive specimens by type/subtype
Influenza A	1,072 (93.2%)	9,807 (93.1%)
A(H1N1)pmd09	18 (1.7%)	258 (2.6%)
H3	980 (91.4%)	9,329 (95.1%)
Subtyping not performed	74 (6.9%)	220 (2.2%)
Influenza B	78 (6.8%)	722 (6.9%)
Yamagata lineage	35 (44.9%)	249 (34.5%)
Victoria lineage	20 (25.6%)	271 (37.5%)
Lineage not performed	23 (29.5%)	202 (28.0%)

*The percent of specimens testing positive for influenza is not reported because public health laboratories often receive samples that have already tested positive for influenza at a clinical laboratory and therefore percent positive would not be a valid indicator of influenza activity. Additional information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/overview.htm.

comment: For those finding division mentally challenging 54.8% were positive. It's all over the country and widespread. Since deaths from flu are not reported we have no CFR or other statistics as to how lethal this year's flu is.

We do know that they are not even testing almost 1/3 of the specimens as to what they are and 44.9% (of what is tested) is Yamagata lineage.

The WHO recommendations are based on global surveillance of circulating influenza strains and on the effectiveness of the northern hemisphere vaccine for the 2015-2016 season.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) previously reported that the 2015-2016 influenza vaccine had an overall effectiveness of 59%, with a 51% rate for the A(H1N1) component and 76% effectiveness against B strains. Overall, 146.4 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the US, according to the CDC.

For the vaccine for the northern hemisphere's influenza season that will begin in the fall of 2016, WHO recently recommended including the A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus, A/Hong Kong/4801/2014 (H3N2)-like virus, and B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus (B/Victoria lineage), with the addition of B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus (B/Yamagata lineage), for the quadrivalent vaccine.

comment: The vaccine is only 51% effective against H1N1 of which Yamagata is a sub-strain and is only included in the Quadrivalent vaccine.

So how many out there were prepared for this flu season as well as the arctic chill spreading across the U.S.?

We have no numbers of people infected. We have no numbers of how many adults have died from it and we are unlikely to ever see those numbers again.

Perhaps even fake news would have been better than no news at all.

Medclinician

ABC National News had a story on the news yesterday. It was short, they did say the flu was widespread and they were urging people to get the flu shot, that experts are saying it is 95% effective for this years viruses. 15 people have died so far in the US. (which I find REALLY hard to believe since 8 people have died in Oklahoma).

carbon20 wrote: Trump is more news worthy....

Not really, lol.

Several counties in TN have closed schools due to flu. That rarely happens in TN.

It is a very bad season and the most poorly reported since we have had them. People are simply not in touch with reality anymore as to what is important - and the greatest threat to America is still from a Pandemic - not if - but when.

We were told a few weeks ago in several reports from CDC that the season was on the decline. It's not. It is nearly two times the baseline in many places and we are having a flu epidemic.

Doctors rarely report deaths from the flu anymore so we don't even have an accurate fatality rate. I know several people who are really getting hit hard by this and some may not make it. I certainly don't want to lose another loved one as I did in 2014 to the Flu - again.

It is going to get worse.

Medclinician

• Mortality Surveillance:
  • Due to data processing problems, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) mortality surveillance data for the week ending January 14, 2017 (week 2) will not be published this week. 

  
  

  • During week 4, the following influenza activity was reported:

  
  

  • Widespread influenza activity was reported by Puerto Rico and 40 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming).
  • Regional influenza activity was reported by Guam and nine states (Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia).
  • Local influenza activity was reported by the District of Columbia and one state (Indiana).
  • No influenza activity was reported by the U.S. Virgin Islands.

EdwinSm, wrote: The CDC weekly report is a lagging report but it has this showing a rise at the beginning of January.    Does anyone know why the base line and epidemic threshold are shrinking as a % year after year?

So it will take more and more infections and deaths to declare an epidemic.  It isn't that our vaccines are more effective or that the medical system is any more prepared than it was during the Pandemic. Unfortunately my personal barometer on the flu is how many of my close friends and loved ones die from it during the worst seasons.

It is widespread across the United States. We are at nearly double the baselines of the past and there is absolutely nothing being said in the mainstream that it is a strain which could prove especially deadly and which few have resistance to.

Years ago when I talked to a clinician in Wisconsin who worked with people at Madison  - a scientist she knew had just created a new virus in the lab.

http://host.madison.com/news/local/health_med_fit/uw-madison-scientist-creates-new-flu-virus-in-lab/article_4cedeb40-efdc-5d2e-a02d-ffb301a84b53.html

I was told that they were going to stop counting fatalities or putting our CFR rates (which she eventually lost her job over her comments) because there was no reason to alarm the public over a situation that they could do nothing about. Despite references to setting up vaccination centers for a rogue virus which at the time there was no real effective vaccine for, they would advise callers to SIP (Stay in place) because there was no cure or real treatment.

This numbing down of the CDC reporting page which is literally shut down most of the year after May - October - has resulted in no released CFR for more than a year.

People are so caught up in the U.S. political circus which is not going to kill anyone they had completely stopped preparing (in most cases) for a Pandemic.

We approach a time when all our antibiotics will be useless against new strains of many fairly deadly diseases and most of the new generation has no resistance has their grandparents did even to TB.

Currently I know of people hospitalized who have strains of things which the antibiotics will not kill and run rampant in many hospitals.

CDC is notorious for say "well it was really bad but look at the last few weeks - things are better".

I worry when CDC says it still is going to get worse.  And just because each year we are having more flu issues does not mean that it is ok and natural.

Death is natural - and until I embrace some type of will or desire to accept it for myself and others -

and stop trying to help people with information to prepare and be ready - it is not okay for me.

Medclinician

The Flu continues its outbreak in the U.S. - now in many areas at epidemic levels. There is literally no coverage in the mainstream media and I was told today there is another virus spreading which is either a more virulent strain or just a worst form of the current flu.

Schools and other services are shutting down in many states and since there is no accurate monitoring or current method of computing a case fatality ratio - we don't even know how lethal this Flu is.

Geographic Spread of Influenza Viruses: Widespread influenza activity was reported by Puerto Rico and 43 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming).  Regional influenza activity was reported by Guam and six states (Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia).

Nationally, the percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for influenza viruses in clinical laboratories during the week ending February 4 was 20.9%.

Medclinician