Flu count jumps to 15M cases

Becker's Hospital Review ^ | January 24, 2020 | Mackenzie Bean

[buckalfa]

After declining in the first two weeks of the year, flu activity jumped in the week ending Jan. 18, according to the CDC's most recent FluView report.

Six things to know:

1. The CDC estimates flu has caused 15 million illnesses, 140,000 hospitalizations and 8,200 deaths this season.

2. More than half of positive flu tests confirmed in public health laboratories have occurred in Americans under age 25. Only 12 percent involved adults age 65 and older. This trend has led to high levels of outpatient cases and lower levels of flu-related hospitalizations.

3. Thirty-five states experienced high flu-like illness activity in the week ending Jan. 18. Six states experienced moderate activity, eight states experienced low activity and Idaho experienced minimal activity.

4. The CDC confirmed 15 additional pediatric flu deaths, bringing the total to 54 for the 2019-20 season.

5. The flu's geographic spread remained the same for the week ending Jan. 18, with 48 states reporting widespread flu activity.

6. The overall flu-associated hospitalization rate was 24.1 per 100,000 people, up from 19.9 per 100,000 people a week prior. The CDC has recorded 7,013 flu-associated hospitalizations since Oct. 1, 2019.

[bgill]

Imagine that. Right after the illegals get back from visiting grandma across the border and suddenly the schools have a break out of the flu. Happens every year at this time.

[Mom MD]

I’m guessing so because i had the vaccine and got the flu... The vaccine is a guess what will be here in winter based on what is in asia/australia in the summer... sometimes the coverage is good other times not so good but you do what you can. That said even if you get the flu after being vaccinated it will likely be a milder case.

[thesearethetimes...]

Thank you, interesting thought on lessening the effect of other strains.
Hopefully, this all, in particular, the Wuhan variety, will not be as bad as it looks right now.

[Truthoverpower]

Once again colloidal silver kills all viruses and bacteria

you can buy it or make it yourself

And don’t let any of these idiots government shills tell you that it’s going to turn you blue where there’s any condition called argria or any nonsense like that that’s all government misinformation

Silver is in 22,000 approved medical products - all X ternal of course

[Truthoverpower]

Furthermore the vaccine industry is entirely profit driven , vaacines are very ineffectual and the industry does not care at all about your health or well-being

[Mom MD]

tell that to the thousands of people who have lost family members to communicable diseases that used to be only a memory in this country .

[ncalburt]

The Chinese with any money are heading here .
Flooding our ERs .
Its a two week incubation .
We can not deny care for these foreigners .
Its time to shut the border for Chinese so called visitors who don't plan to leave .
Our hospitals will be whelmed .

[JudyinCanada]

Is this more of the diversity we should be celebrating? Diversity of viruses, germs, diseases, maladies? Another gift from the open borders crowd - rapists, murderers, drugs, parasites and disease! Sounds like a great plan!

[WASCWatch]

I am not a total anti-vaxxer, but too many vaccines are being given to children. Polio, MMR, and maybe 1-2 others are fine; but parents of young children are being told their child needs 10-20. That’s nonsense.

Every year, my primary care doctor at the VA and my oncologist at MD Anderson ask me if I have gotten a flu shot. I tell my doctor I got one at MD Anderson, and tell my oncologist I got one at the VA.

I have very limited contact with other people, and none in crowded spaces. If there is a flu bug going around, I just don’t go to church for 3-4 weeks.

[skinndogNN]

I got the flu shot in Mid October.

And then go the flu 2 weeks ago. Not fun.

Took me 2 days until I could see my doctor, so Tamiflu didn’t shorten the life cycle of the flu much.

Even though the symptoms were not quite as bad as I have had it in the past.

So MAYBE the flu shot helped some. That is at least what they tell us.

[Shethink13]

Not every case of flu is tested or confirmed. Most are treated empirically. The quick swab in the ER for flu is basically worthless. I have many cases where the screening swab is negative and later testing confirms flu. This is the epidemic we should be worried about now . Whether the Chinese virus will turn out to be as bad time will tell.

I'm not talking about the total number of cases, but the number of hospitalizations. You're trying to tell me that the actual number of hospitalizations from the flu is 20x the actual number recorded? If there is hospitalization would that not entail the confirmatory testing for flu, which would then be in the recorded statistics?

[Shethink13]

Not every case of flu is tested or confirmed. Most are treated empirically.

So you're saying patients are being treated for the flu when they haven't positively been identified as even having the flu? Sounds like malpractice to me.

[Mom MD]

The test is not good. The treatment is not otherwise harmful. It may take a day or two for the confirmatory test. A lot of people are treated empirically

[Shethink13]

The test is not good. The treatment is not otherwise harmful. It may take a day or two for the confirmatory test. A lot of people are treated empirically

Not otherwise harmful...that is unless the patient is suffering from something totally different from the flu and the lack of delayed intervention causes problems down the line because a diagnostic assumption was made without verification.

[Shethink13]

It may take a day or two for the confirmatory test. A lot of people are treated empirically

What percentage of patients treated "empirically" after having negative rapid flu tests performed in the ER have follow up confirmatory flu tests done?