Force of Infection is now on the summer schedule, meaning national Outbreak Outlook updates are only available to paid subscribers. The winter schedule, including the free national version, will resume in October. To continue receiving reports during the summer, please upgrade to paid.
Influenza-like illness
Seasonal influenza activity continues to trend down during this off-peak period. Trips to the doctor for symptoms like fever, cough and sore throat (referred to as influenza-like illness or ILI) have decreased slightly to 1.6% (down from last week’s 1.8%).
At the national level, just 0.2% of visits to the emergency department (ED) are for influenza. ED visit rates are highest for young people between the ages of 5 and 17 years (0.7%) and lowest for adults 65 and older (0.1%). The weekly hospitalization rate last week was 0.1 per 100,000 people, down from 0.3 per 100,000 the previous week.
Among infants and young children (ages 0–4), 5.2% of doctor visits are for fever, cough, and sore throat (influenza-like illness). For older children and young adults (ages 5–24), that figure is 2.3%. Both percentages have decreased slightly compared to last week.
Two influenza-associated deaths were reported this past week, for a total of 174 deaths this season. (Note: death reporting is often delayed, so these deaths may not necessarily be recent). Approximately 85% of reported pediatric deaths this season, according to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, have occurred in either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated children.
Covid-19
There are some very early and preliminary indications of increased activity in a few Southern states (e.g., Florida, Texas). Activity is very low, so small increases are of little consequence. I mention it only because this time of year I begin to monitor for the first signs of the summer wave, and it's those states that typically tick up first. It could just be normal fluctuation. To 'call' the start of the wave, I need to see a few consecutive weeks of increase, over an expanding geographic area. We're not there yet.