Flu In Virginia Is Now Widespread: CDC

VIRGINIA — At least 13 children have died nationwide as nearly half the country is experiencing widespread flu activity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in its latest update. While no children have died in Virginia from the flu this season, the age group that saw a spike in visits to emergency rooms and urgent care clinics most recently was children ages 0 to 4, based on data from the Virginia Department of Health.

The latest numbers provided by the CDC are current as of Dec. 29 for the 2018-19 flu season.

According to the CDC, widespread flu activity was reported in 24 states, including in Virginia. The remaining states reported regional, local or sporadic flu activity. The geographic spread of flu activity does not measure the severity of the virus.

Five regions in the state of Virginia have reported above-average flu-related activity, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

Northern Virginia has seen the most activity, according to the state's weekly influenza activity report.

The flu can cause serious illness, hospitalization and death. The groups most at risk are older adults, very young children, pregnant women and those with certain chronic medical conditions, according to the CDC.

More than 11 percent of children ages 0 to 4 visiting hospitals and urgent care facilities in Virginia were due to flu-like illness the week ending Dec. 29, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

The CDC’s influenza-like-illness (ILI) surveillance measures the level of flu activity within a state. According to the latest ILI data, 19 states have high flu activity. However, the ILI surveillance does not measure geographic spread so the CDC cautions that outbreaks in a single city could cause a state to have high flu activity.

The A(H1N1) viruses have predominated in most parts of the country, but the A(H3N2) viruses have predominated in the southeastern U.S. The CDC says it is too soon to assess how severe this flu season will be, but since the H1N1 virus emerged in 2009 it has been associated with significant illness and severe illness among young children.

While the length of a flu season can vary, the average flu season over the last five years has lasted 16 weeks. The CDC said it expects that elevated flu activity will continue for weeks and advised that it’s not too late to get vaccinated.

About 80 percent of children who die due to the flu are not vaccinated, according to the CDC. The agency cited a study that says the vaccine reduces the risk of death among healthy children by 65 percent and among children with a high-risk condition by 50 percent.

It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to provide protection against the flu. You can find more information about the flu vaccine and its benefits here.

You can use the CDC’s flu vaccine finder to locate a pharmacy or clinic near you that provides the vaccine:

According to the CDC, symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever or feeling feverish/chills (Though not everyone with flu will have a fever)
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.

By Patch editors Feroze Dhanoa and Elizabeth Janney

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