Every week the Center for Disease Control (CDC) analyzes influenza activity for the U.S. and publishes findings of key flu indicators. I asked Jody Victor® to bring us up to speed.
Jody Victor®: During the week of February 7 through February 13, 2010 most of the key indicators remained the same as the previous week. Visits to doctors for flu-like illnesses increased slightly but are still low for this time of year. Hospitalizations have leveled off. No states reported widespread influenza activity. Three states had regional activity: Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Almost all of the influenza viruses identified continue to be 2009 H1N1 influenza A. They remain similar to the virus chosen for the H1N1 flu vaccine.
The World Health Organization (WHO), a United Nations agency, actively monitors the H1N1 pandemic through frequent consultations with their regional offices and 192 member states. In June of 2009 the WHO declared that the new H1N1 virus was causing the first influenza pandemic in more than 40 years and raised the alert level to the maximum 6 on a scale of 1 to 6. The WHO’s recent update shows that the situation is largely unchanged since their previous update. In the Americas, both in the tropical and northern temperate zones, pandemic influenza virus continued to circulate at low levels.
The WHO’s emergency committee, composed of 15 experts, met recently in Geneva, Switzerland to assess whether the H1N1 pandemic has peaked. They found signals demonstrating that infections are falling in most countries but caution that fresh waves are still possible. They also cautioned that even though it appears to be subsiding in North America and Europe, levels of flu activity in countries in the southern hemisphere are cause for concern as they enter their winter months. The WHO emergency committee decided that the pandemic has entered a “post peak” phase and indicated to governments and health authorities that the virus is in a transition to a more normal circulation as seasonal influenza.
The WHO’s top influenza expert, Dr. Keiji Fukuda, warns people and governments, however, to not let their guard down even though the H1N1 outbreak has not been as harsh as past pandemics. Dr. Fukuda said people should continue to seek vaccination against the pandemic, especially young adults and pregnant women, groups not normally vulnerable to seasonal influenza. He added that over 300 million people have been vaccinated and that the shots have proved 70-75 percent effective.
All the Best!