Health
Flu Shot a Mismatch for Main Strain, Season Far From Over: CDC – Medscape
Influenza is still going strong in the United States and isn’t expected to slow down for at least several more weeks, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
What’s more, this season’s vaccine is only a 58% match for B/Victoria, the strain that is hitting children especially hard.
“It’s not a very good match for B/Victoria,” Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN. “It’s not an awful match, but it’s not a very good match.”
Nationally, the predominant virus is B/Victoria, followed by A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses, with the predominant virus varying by region and age group. A(H3N2) and B/Yamagata viruses are circulating in low numbers.
“Key indicators that track flu activity remain high, but indicators that track severity are not high at this point in the season,” the CDC explains in the report.
Although levels of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) remain elevated, hospitalization rates and the percentage of deaths resulting from pneumonia and influenza remain low.
“This is likely due to the predominance of influenza B/Victoria and influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses which are more likely to affect children and younger adults than the elderly. Because the majority of hospitalizations and deaths occur among people age 65 and older, with fewer illnesses among that group, we expect, on a population level, to see less impact in flu-related hospitalizations and deaths,” the CDC explains.
Outpatient visits for ILI activity fell from 7% the previous week to 5.8%. “The decrease in the percentage of patient visits for ILI may be influenced in part by changes in healthcare seeking behavior and influenza virus transmission that can occur during the holidays,” the CDC notes in its report.
Regionally, the percentage of outpatient visits for influenza ranged from 3.6% to 8.6%, with all regions reporting a percentage of outpatient visits for influenza that were equal to or higher than their region-specific baselines.
The percentage of respiratory specimens that tested positive for influenza in clinical laboratories fell to 23.6% from 26.4% during the last week of 2019.
ILI activity was high in the District of Columbia, New York City, Puerto Rico, and 33 states; moderate in six states (Alaska, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and South Dakota); and low in eight states (Florida, Hawaii, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Vermont, and Wyoming).
Activity was minimal in New Hampshire and there were insufficient data to calculate ILI activity for Delaware, Idaho, and the US Virgin Islands.
Geographically, influenza activity was widespread in Puerto Rico and 46 states, regional in three states (Mississippi, North Dakota, and Vermont), local in the District of Columbia and Hawaii, and sporadic in the US Virgin Islands. Guam did not report.
Hospitalizations and Deaths
According to the CDC’s estimates, there have been at least 9.7 million illnesses, 87,000 hospitalizations, and 4800 deaths from influenza this season.
Between October 1, 2019, and January 4, 2020, 4228 laboratory-confirmed hospitalizations were reported. Of those, 2299 (54.4%) were linked to influenza A virus, 1906 (45.1%) to influenza B virus, 13 (0.3%) to influenza A virus and influenza B virus coinfection, and 10 (0.2%) to influenza virus, which had not been typed.
Among patients for whom influenza A subtype information was available, 461 (86.0%) were A(H1N1)pdm09 virus and 75 (14.0%) were A(H3N2) virus.
The overall cumulative hospitalization rate was 14.6 per 100,000 population. The rate was highest for those aged 65 years or older (33.3%), followed by children younger than 5 years (26.8) and those aged 50 to 64 years (17.0).
The percentage of deaths from pneumonia and influenza edged up to 5.8% (epidemic threshold 6.9%), from 5.5% during week 52 of 2019.
During week 1 of this year, the CDC received reports of five influenza-associated pediatric deaths that occurred during the weeks ending December 28, 2019, and January 4, 2020. Three of those were linked to influenza B viruses for which lineage was not determined, and two were related to influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses.
So far, the CDC has received reports of 32 influenza-associated pediatric deaths that occurred this season, compared with 16 at this point last season. Of those, 21 deaths were related to influenza B viruses, five of which had lineage determined and were all B/Victoria viruses. Eleven deaths were linked to influenza A viruses, six of which underwent subtyping and were all A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses.
Influenza B viruses can cause severe illness in adults and children; however, adults often have built-up immunity from previous infections, whereas children may not have.
Both influenza A viruses and influenza B viruses can cause serious illness in adults and children; therefore, the CDC recommends vaccination for everyone aged 6 years or older and antiviral medications as soon as possible after illness onset.
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The USask Global Institute for Water Security wastewater survey for Prince Albert shows that the COVID-19 viral RNA load in Prince Albert’s has decreased by 46.5 per cent.
This was after there was a single decrease in last week’s report.
The number is based on averages of three individual daily measurements in this reporting period up to May 22 which are then compared to the weekly average of the previous week.
This week’s viral load of approximately 10,000 gene copies / 100 mL SARS-CoV-2 is the 85th-highest value observed during the pandemic.
This concentration of viral particles is considered Low because it is below the range and regarded as low in Prince Albert.
This week’s viral RNA load indicates that the SARS-CoV-2 infections in Prince Albert are reducing.
Whole genome sequencing confirmed the presence of BQ.1, BQ.1.1, BQ.1.1.4, BQ.1.18, XBB.1.5, BA.5.2.1 and BE.1.1 in earlier samples; which have S:Y144del, S:R346T, S:K444T, S:N460K mutations associated with immune escape. In addition, the sequences of the most recently collected sample relative to the previously collected samples indicate the level of presence of BA.2 and BA.5 in Prince Albert’s wastewater to be 94 per cent and 78 per cent stable respectively.
All data has been shared with Saskatchewan health authorities.
USask and Global Water Futures researchers are using wastewater-based epidemiology to monitor for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19) in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford wastewater, providing early warning of infection outbreaks. This work is being done in partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, Public Health Agency of Canada, City of Saskatoon, City of Prince Albert and City of North Battleford.
This variant tracking data should be seen merely as an indicator of trends which need to be verified using sequencing technology through the Public Health Agency of Canada. Because individuals are at varying stages of infection when shedding the virus, the variant levels detected in sewage are not necessarily directly comparable to the proportion of variant cases found in individual swab samples confirmed through provincial genetic sequencing efforts.
editorial@paherald.sk.ca
Health
Just when we were starting to see COVID and RSV rates drop this spring, another type of virus contributed to a spike in respiratory infections
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- Human metapneumovirus spiked this spring as cases of COVID and RSV fell.
- According to the CDC, 19.6% of antigen tests and nearly 11% of PCR tests for HMPV, were positive in the US in early March.
- Symptoms of HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath.
Cases of another type of respiratory virus have spiked this spring, just as COVID-19 and RSV rates were finally falling in the US.
According to the CDC, 19.6% of antigen tests and nearly 11% of PCR tests for human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, were positive in the US in early March.
The nearly 11% of positive PCR cases is up 36% since before the COVID-19 pandemic when PCR tests for HMPV were coming back with a rate of 7% positivity, according to the CDC.
In contrast, COVID-19 cases were down nearly 30% at the beginning of March, according to the World Health Organization, and the number of people being hospitalized for RSV was down to 1.2 people per 100,000 in March from 4.5 people per 100,000 in January, according to the CDC.
Symptoms of HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath, according to the CDC. The symptoms could progress into bronchitis, pneumonia, or other similar viruses that cause upper and lower respiratory infections.
The CDC said some might be sicker for longer than others, and the duration of the virus depends on the severity, but for the most part, is similar in length to other respiratory infections caused by viruses.
The virus is spread by coughs and sneezes, close personal contact, and touching surfaces infected with the virus, then touching the mouth, nose, or eyes.
According to CNN, there’s no vaccine for HMPV, nor is there an antiviral drug to treat it.
Health
Just when we were starting to see COVID and RSV rates drop this spring, another type of virus contributed to a spike in respiratory infections
|
|
- Human metapneumovirus spiked this spring as cases of COVID and RSV fell.
- According to the CDC, 19.6% of antigen tests and nearly 11% of PCR tests for HMPV, were positive in the US in early March.
- Symptoms of HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath.
Cases of another type of respiratory virus have spiked this spring, just as COVID-19 and RSV rates were finally falling in the US.
According to the CDC, 19.6% of antigen tests and nearly 11% of PCR tests for human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, were positive in the US in early March.
The nearly 11% of positive PCR cases is up 36% since before the COVID-19 pandemic when PCR tests for HMPV were coming back with a rate of 7% positivity, according to the CDC.
In contrast, COVID-19 cases were down nearly 30% at the beginning of March, according to the World Health Organization, and the number of people being hospitalized for RSV was down to 1.2 people per 100,000 in March from 4.5 people per 100,000 in January, according to the CDC.
Symptoms of HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath, according to the CDC. The symptoms could progress into bronchitis, pneumonia, or other similar viruses that cause upper and lower respiratory infections.
The CDC said some might be sicker for longer than others, and the duration of the virus depends on the severity, but for the most part, is similar in length to other respiratory infections caused by viruses.
The virus is spread by coughs and sneezes, close personal contact, and touching surfaces infected with the virus, then touching the mouth, nose, or eyes.
According to CNN, there’s no vaccine for HMPV, nor is there an antiviral drug to treat it.
Read the original article on Insider
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