Happy achoo year!
After a slow start, flu season is gaining steam in the US. Emergency room visits for influenza were “very high” last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
About eight out of every 100,000 hospitalized people were admitted for the flu — around twice the level for COVID-19, according to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Seniors were the most affected.
The flu is at “high” or “very high” levels across 40 states, with the South and Pacific Northwest hit the hardest. In Oregon, for example, 8.4% of emergency room visits at the end of December involved the flu, exceeding last winter’s peak.
“You can see that in Dec. 2022, we also had a very large spike in flu cases, but this year has been significantly higher than last year,” Sara Hottman, a spokesperson for Oregon Health & Science University Hospital, told CBS News last week.
Besides Oregon, other states that are seeing extreme flu activity include Idaho, New Mexico, Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee.
New York is at a “high” level for the flu, and NYC is outpacing other parts of the state.
There is good news for people in parts of the Northeast and Midwest.
“Low” levels of the flu were detected in South Dakota, Delaware and West Virginia and the lowest levels were recorded in Montana and Vermont.
Flu season typically runs from October to April or May. Flu viruses linger longer in cold, dry air and can spread more easily among people indoors.
Symptoms include fever, chills, sore throat, dry cough, headaches, muscle aches, runny or stuffy nose and fatigue.
The CDC estimated there have been at least 5.3 million illnesses, 63,000 hospitalizations and 2,700 deaths (including 11 children) from flu this season, as of Dec. 28.
The American Heart Association recommends getting a flu shot if you’re older than 6 months, steering clear of sick people, avoiding touching your face, washing your hands often and visiting your doctor if you think you have the flu so you can immediately start treatment.
The flu is not the only respiratory illness sweeping the US this winter. The CDC reported that COVID-19 activity is increasing in most regions, while respiratory syncytial virus is “very high” in many areas, particularly among young children.
Still, experts told CBS News that a “tripledemic” of flu, COVID-19 and RSV is not likely to occur this year and overwhelm hospitals because COVID-19 levels are only starting to ramp up in some areas.
It is possible to get two of these viruses at once — known as co-infection — but virologists say respiratory viruses and COVID-19 “don’t get along very well together.”
Viral interference describes when a virus blocks or limits infection of another virus.
