Author: Cora Van Olson cora.vanolson@yankton.net / Source: Yankton Press & Dakotan
As bad as it may seem, this year’s flu season is not as bad as last year’s — and the worst may soon be behind us.
Cases of influenza are elevated across most of the continental U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
As of Jan. 11, the CDC has estimates that 6-7 million people have been sick with flu this season, about half those people have gone to the doctor; and between 69,000-84,000 people have been hospitalized because of influenza.Influenza cases peak yearly from December to February, leaving us currently in the height of the flu season.
One measure of the severity of each flu season is the level of “influenza-like illness” (ILI) observed. Based on the current level, the CDC concluded last month that this year’s flu season, though not over yet, is less severe than the 2017-2018 flu season.
For the week ending on Jan. 11, the most recent statistics available show ILI nationwide was 3.5 percent; the overall hospitalization rate was 9.1 per 100,000; and pneumonia and influenza (P&I) deaths have not exceeded the epidemic threshold.
“ILI data does help us identify which populations are experiencing the greatest burden related to influenza,” Joshua Clayton, epidemiologist for the South Dakota Department of Health told the Press & Dakotan.
Currently, ILI in South Dakota is at more than 2 percent, he said. “It’s a little difficult to compare exactly at this time last year, but what I can say is that we did have flu activity that got as high as 5 percent of people going to their doctor were sick with flu.”
During the 2017-2018 flu season, influenza was widespread and also high in severity. The number of influenza-related cases was the highest since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, when an estimated 60 million people were sick with influenza, according to the CDC.
Last year, ILI peaked at…
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