Flu admissions jump: 7 notes

Flu admissions jump: 7 notes 

Flu admissions rates remain low across the U.S., though are beginning to rise ahead of holiday gatherings, according to the CDC’s latest FluView report. 

At least 2,350 patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza were admitted to a hospital for the week ending Nov. 15, marking a 41% increase from 1,665 flu patients who were hospitalized a week prior. Flu-related admission rates are low in all 10 HHS regions, but are trending upward.

Here are six more notes on how influenza activity is tracking in the U.S., per the latest FluView report: 

1. Less than 1% of ED visits were flu-related, a figure that remained relatively stable compared to the previous week. However, flu-related ED visits are rising among children. The virus accounted for about 1.4% of visits among children 4 and younger, and 2.1% among those ages 5-17.

2. Around 2.2% of outpatient visits were due to respiratory illness for the week ending Nov. 15. This reflects patients who presented with a fever plus a cough or sore throat. The 2.2% figure is below the national baseline of 3.1% and remained stable compared to the previous week. 

3. Of the 45,984 specimens tested by clinical laboratories this week, nearly 3% were positive for flu. The majority of positive tests were for influenza A.

4. There have been at least 650,000 illnesses, 7,400 hospitalizations and 300 deaths from the flu so far this season, according to CDC estimates. 

5. Experts say the current uptick in flu activity may in part be driven by ‘subclade K,’ a mutated version of H3N2 that has fueled earlier and more intense outbreaks abroad. The strain is a version of the influenza A virus, which is generally known to cause more severe illness, particularly in older adults and young children.

Circulation of the strain coupled with declining vaccination rates could lead to another intense flu season, infectious disease experts told The Hill. The 2024-25 flu season was among the most severe in 15 years, responsible for 280 pediatric deaths — the highest number of pediatric deaths since the agency began tracking them in 2004.

6. A Washington state resident who contracted a bird flu strain not previously seen in humans has died, health officials said Nov. 21. The individual had underlying health conditions and had been hospitalized since early November with influenza H5N5 — the first instance in which this variant has been seen in a human. Health officials said there has been no evidence of human-to-human transmission and that the risk avian flu poses to the public remains low. This marks the second death from bird flu among 71 cases that have been confirmed in the U.S., according to CDC data.