Flu: The Last Flu Story, We Hope (cont.)
P&I Mortality Surveillance
During the week ending January 17, P&I accounted for 10.3% of all deaths
reported through the 122 Cities Mortality Reporting System. This percentage is
again above the epidemic threshold†† of 8.1% (Figure 2).
ILI Surveillance
The percentage of patient
visits§§ to approximately 1,000 U.S. sentinel providers nationwide for ILI
decreased to 2.0% for the week ending January 17, which is below the national
baseline of 2.5% (Figure 3). The percentage of patient visits for ILI continued
to decrease in all nine surveillance regions, ranging from 2.5% in the Pacific
region to 1.1% in the New England and West North Central regions.
Activity Reported by State and Territorial Epidemiologists
During the week ending January 17, influenza activity was reported as widespread
in five states (Delaware, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont).
Regional activity was reported in 31 states (Colorado, Connecticut, Florida,
Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and
Wyoming) and New York City. Local activity was reported in eight states (Alaska,
Arizona, California, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, and Washington).
Sporadic activity was reported in six states (Alabama, Arkansas, Nevada, New
Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Dakota), the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto
Rico.
Influenza-Associated Deaths in Children Aged <18 Years
As of January 20, 2004, CDC had received reports of 111
influenza-associated deaths in U.S. residents aged <18 years. This update is
based on preliminary data reported from 33 states (Table). All patients had
evidence of influenza virus infection detected by rapid-antigen testing or other
laboratory tests. Among reported deaths, 56 (50.5%) were male. The median age was 4 years (range: 1 month--17 years). Of the 64
children aged <5 years, 38 were aged 6 months--23 months. Twenty-one children
had high-risk medical conditions that put them at increased risk for
complications from influenza. Of the children whose influenza vaccination status was reported, three were vaccinated according to
recommendations (1), and 49 were not vaccinated.
Source: CDC MMWR Weekly, January 23, 2004 (www.cdc.gov)
Last Editorial Review: 7/7/2004
