Flu ‘gathering speed’ across US as health officials prepare for potentially

CNN
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US health officials are becoming increasingly concerned about this year’s flu season – and are already seeing signs that the virus is spreading.

As the 2022-23 flu season gets underway, one high school in California is facing a “high number of absences” among students due to possible flu cases. Flu activity in the United States often starts to increase in October and usually peaks between December and February.

“We can confirm that there is a high number of absences at Henry High School due to probable Influenza,” Samer Naji, a spokesperson for the San Diego Unified School District, said in an email to CNN on Thursday. There were about 1,000 absences Wednesday, out of 2,600 students.

“So far COVID tests have been negative but several students have tested positive for flu,” Naji said. “Typical signs and symptoms include cough, sore throat, runny nose, fever, and other upper respiratory infection symptoms. We are in close contact with San Diego County Public Health.”

San Diego County Public Health Services confirmed to CNN that it is investigating the large outbreak of respiratory and flu-like symptoms among students at Patrick Henry High School – as well as Del Norte High School in Poway, California.

“Del Norte High School (in the Poway Unified School District) had nearly 400 students absent yesterday and Tuesday with cold and flu like symptoms,” Christine Paik, spokesperson at Poway Unified School District, told CNN on Wednesday. “Health officials have told us that the cold/flu season is definitely here and it’s hitting schools harder now that COVID restrictions are no longer in place.”

San Diego County Public Health Services announced Wednesday that “it is too early” to determine the cause of the outbreaks and that the county is evaluating.

“We are coordinating with local school districts and are checking with other school campuses to try and figure out why so many students have been affected so suddenly,” Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the county’s deputy public health officer, said in an announcement Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, we anticipated this would be a rough influenza season, and alongside COVID-19 other respiratory viruses are also making a rapid comeback,” Kaiser said. “If you haven’t already, now is the time to get your flu and COVID-19 shots to gain the extra protections afforded by the vaccines.”

An early increase in seasonal flu activity has been reported in most of the United States, with the nation’s southeast and south-central areas reporting the highest levels of flu, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than a thousand patients have been hospitalized with flu this week, the agency said.

“Nationally, the percentage of specimens testing positive for influenza in clinical laboratories is increasing; however, activity varies by region,” CDC researchers wrote in the agency’s latest weekly flu report, published Friday.

While current influenza activity is still overall low, the CDC’s report finds that activity is increasing in most of the country, with three jurisdictions experiencing moderate activity and six jurisdictions experiencing high or very high activity.

This week, 3.3% of respiratory specimens sent to clinical labs tested positive for influenza, according to the new report. That is a jump from the 0.1% of specimens that tested positive this time last year, and the 0.2% of specimens that tested positive this time in 2020.

However, the new data suggest the nation might be returning to pre-Covid levels of flu, as around this time in 2019, 3.1% of specimens were reported as testing positive for flu.

The new CDC report also said that 1,322 patients were admitted to hospitals with influenza this week and there were three deaths in children this week associated with influenza.

Overall, the most frequently reported flu viruses this week were influenza A (H3N2), according to the report, and 2.6% of outpatient visits to health care providers were for respiratory illnesses that included symptoms such as fever plus a cough or sore throat. That is above the national baseline, which is 2.5%.

“An annual flu vaccine is the best way to protect against flu. Vaccination helps prevent infection and can also prevent serious outcomes in people who get vaccinated but still get sick with flu,” according to the report.

“CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older get a flu vaccine, ideally by the end of October. There are also prescription flu antiviral drugs that can be used to treat flu illness; those need to be started as early as possible.”

Predicting what influenza…