According to an MMWR report released on February 16th by the CDC, this is the worst flu season in over a decade, where the percentage of influenza like illness in emergency departments and doctor’s offices were reported to rise to 7.7% from late 2017 to February. This percentage has not been as high since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Overall, the majority of hospitalizations attributed to influenza infection are in the elderly (59% of cases) although there still is an unnatural percentage of individuals from other adult age groups such as 18-49 that have been hospitalized. Overall as of February 3rd , there have been a total of 63-pediatric flu associated deaths. The CDC also predicts that there are still several more weeks of elevated influenza activity to go before the flu season quiets down. As such, the CDC has continued to push the population to continue vaccination for flu if individuals have not done so. Preventative measures to combat the spread of flu include washing your hands with soap thoroughly, avoiding being in public spaces if one has contracted the flu and is sneezing or coughing, and taking certain neuraminidase inhibitors that have been shown to reduce the duration of the illness.
-Daniel Gutierrez
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