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Flu season gets an early start

Issue: January 2013

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This year’s influenza season marks the earliest regular influenza season seen since the 2003-2004 season, according to the CDC.

“That was an early and severe flu year, and although flu is unpredictable, the early nature of this year’s season, as well as the specific strains we are seeing [influenza A/H3N2], suggest that this could be a bad flu year,” CDC Director Thomas Frieden, MD, said during a recent media briefing.

Infectious Diseases in Children Editorial Board member Pedro A. Piedra, MD, said for children, however, every year can be a “bad flu year” because children are more susceptible to influenza infection.

Pedro A. Piedra

“In fact, school-age children generally have the highest attack rate from influenza infection and are the best spreaders of the influenza virus to other children in schools and to susceptible family members at home,” Piedra said.

As of the middle of December, 29 states reported widespread geographic influenza activity, compared with just eight states two weeks before. The percentage of respiratory specimens nationwide that tested positive for influenza during the week of Dec. 15 increased to 28.3%, which is elevated for this time of year, according to the CDC.

Although the proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza based on the CDC’s 122 cities mortality reporting system was below the epidemic threshold, the CDC reported six influenza-associated pediatric deaths so far during the 2012-2013 season (Figure 1).

 

Piedra said effective influenza vaccination programs remain the best way to prevent influenza and related complications. All patients aged 6 months and older should be vaccinated annually against influenza, according to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

“Effective use of clinic-based and school-based influenza vaccination programs will help ensure all eligible children with and without a medical home are vaccinated,” Piedra told Infectious Diseases in Children.

References:

CDC. FluView. Available at: www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly. Last updated Dec. 14, 2012. Accessed Dec. 17, 2012. 

Disclosure: Frieden and Piedra report no relevant financial disclosures.