Flu Season May Not Have Peaked Yet

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Flu Season May Not Have Peaked Yet: Season Started Slowly, but Cases

Have Risen All Year, Says CDC By Miranda Hitti

March 3, 2005 -- Spring is just around the corner, but flu season isn't over.

The number of flu cases may not have peaked yet, says the CDC's latest flu

report.

According to the CDC, influenza activity has increased steadily in the U.S.

since late December and had not peaked by Feb. 19.

The peak is usually sometime between December and March. In 16 out of the

last 27 flu seasons, the peak hasn't come until February or later, says the

CDC.

When Flu Strikes

If you come down with the flu, see your doctor. Antiviral medications such as

Tamiflu can shorten the flu by about a day or two in healthy adults when taken

within 48 hours of the start of symptoms, says the CDC.

Take particular care of kids, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with

certain chronic medical conditions, who can be more vulnerable to flu

complications. " Numerous [flu] outbreaks have been reported in long-term

care facilities and among schoolchildren, " says the CDC report.

During last year's flu season, 153 children in 40 states died of flu. So far,

nine

children have died of flu this season, with all of those deaths occurring in

January or February. That number will probably rise before flu season ends,

predicts the CDC.

Tips for Preventing the Flu

Tips for Preventing the Flu

The CDC offers these tips to steer clear of the flu:

* Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

* Wash your hands often, especially after you cough or sneeze. If soap and

water aren't handy, use an alcohol-based hand cleaner.

* Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.

* If you get the flu, stay home from work or school so you don't spread the flu

to other people.

After shortages of flu shots last year, flu season got off to a slow start. From

October through mid-December, U.S. flu activity was low. But cases rose

steadily in January and February and have been reported in all 50 states,

says the CDC.

Since early October 2004, 38 states and New York City had reported

widespread flu activity lasting at least one week in at least half the regions

of

the state.

At the CDC's last check on Feb. 19, flu activity was widespread in 33 states

and regional in 15 states.

The CDC also tracks which flu viruses have shown up. Both influenza A and B

viruses have been reported this year, but since October most cases have

been influenza A viruses. Of the more than 11,000 flu cases identified, almost

85% have been influenza A viruses. The influenza A (H3N2) virus accounts

for most of those cases.

The numbers appear in the CDC's March 4 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly

Report.

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SOURCES: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, March 4, 2005; vol 54: pp

193-196. CDC, " Key Facts About The Flu: How to Prevent the Flu and What

To Do If You Get Sick. "