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medpundit |
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Saturday, February 08, 2003The nation's heartland is being hit by a strain of type-B influenza that until recently had been reported only in Southeast Asia, said Alicia Postema, an epidemiologist at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Kids that are 12 or younger have probably not seen a virus similar to the influenza-B virus that's circulating this year," Postema said. "That's one of the reasons I think kids are getting hit particularly hard." Though most people recover in one or two weeks, the flu can be deadly. About 36,000 people die from the virus each year, according to the CDC. Those deaths, it should be pointed out, are usually in those with already frail health. For some reason, this has been a very light flu season in my state, which is also part of the heartland. Usually by this time of year I have to work through lunch and double book just about everyone to keep up with the patient flow, but so far everything's been flowing along at a normal pace. According to the CDC, that’s true for most states: Influenza activity was reported as widespread in 6 states (Alabama, Colorado, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia) and regional in 18 states. Twenty-four states and New York City reported sporadic activity, and 2 states reported no influenza activity. Guess having adequate supplies of flu vaccine available this year has made a difference. posted by Sydney on 2/08/2003 08:10:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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