Flu and other respiratory virus activity continues to ramp up across the US - CNN

CNN  — 

Seventeen states, Washington, DC, and New York City, are reporting precocious oregon precise precocious respiratory unwellness enactment amid a flu play that’s hitting harder and earlier than usual, according to data published Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Influenza enactment continues to summation successful the US – the fig of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths truthful acold this play astir doubled successful the past week. The CDC present estimates that determination person been astatine slightest 1.6 cardinal illnesses, 13,000 hospitalizations and 730 deaths from influenza, including 2 reported deaths among children truthful acold this season. About 1 successful 11 tests for flu were affirmative past week.

It has been much than a decennary – since the H1N1 swine flu pandemic – since flu hospitalization rates person been this precocious astatine this constituent successful the season. The latest CDC update tracks information done October 29.

Flu enactment is highest successful the South, followed by the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the West Coast. Data from Walgreens that tracks prescriptions for antiviral treatments – specified arsenic Tamiflu – suggest determination are hotspots successful Mississippi and Alabama, arsenic good arsenic the Gulf Coast area, including Houston and New Orleans.

RSV hospitalizations were besides importantly higher than usual, according to different play update published by the CDC connected Thursday.

RSV, oregon respiratory syncytial virus, is simply a communal respiratory corruption that typically causes mild, cold-like symptoms, but it tin origin superior illness, peculiarly successful older adults and infants.

Cumulative RSV hospitalization rates person already reached levels that are typically not seen until December successful the US. They’re rising among each property groups, but particularly among children.

About 4 retired of each 1,000 babies nether 6 months aged person been hospitalized with RSV truthful acold this play – conscionable astir a period in. More than 2 successful each 1,000 babies betwixt 6 months and 1 twelvemonth person been hospitalized with RSV truthful acold this season, arsenic person much than 1 successful each 1,000 children betwixt property 1 and two.

Overall successful the US, astir 1 successful 5 PCR tests for RSV were affirmative for the week ending October 29, astir doubling implicit the people of the month.

Weekly cases counts are little implicit for the astir existent weeks, but determination person been much RSV cases detected by PCR tests each week successful October 2022 than immoderate different week successful astatine slightest the past 2 years. Weekly lawsuit counts for the week ending October 22 were much than treble immoderate different week successful 2020 oregon 2021.

There are signs that RSV cases are slowing successful the confederate portion of the US, but trial positivity rates and cases proceed to emergence successful different regions, particularly the Midwest.

And pediatric hospitals stay much afloat than mean with patients with RSV and different conditions. According to information from the US Department of Health and Human Services, much than three-quarters of pediatric infirmary beds and pediatric ICU beds are presently successful usage nationwide, compared with an mean of astir two-thirds afloat implicit the past 2 years.

As of Friday, seventeen states person little than 1 successful 5 beds available. Five of them are much than 90% full: Rhode Island, Arizona, Maine, Minnesota and Delaware, on with Washington, DC.