Thursday 19 August 2021
The main points from this weeks national influenza and COVID-19 surveillance report are:
Surveillance indicators suggest that at a national level COVID-19 activity has been stable in week 32 of 2021.
Case rates were highest in those aged 20 to 29, with a 7-day rate of 610.3 per 100,000 population, and second highest in those aged 10 to 19, with a 7-day rate of 460.7 per 100,000 population.
The lowest case rates were in those aged 80 and above, with a 7-day rate of 86.1 per 100,000 population.
Seven-day case rates per 100,000 population were highest in Yorkshire and the Humber at 362.9.
Case rates per 100,000 were lowest in the East of England, with a 7-day rate of 265.2.
The number of acute respiratory infection incidents in England was 415 in week 32, compared to 421 in the previous week.
The hospital admission rate for week 32 was 6.93 per 100,000 population, in the previous week it was 6.75 per 100,000 population.
Hospital admission rates for COVID-19 were highest in the North East, with a rate of 10.16 per 100,000 population.
The highest hospital admission rates continue to be those aged 85 and above.
Dr William Welfare, COVID-19 Incident Director at Public Health England, said:
Can A Flu Vaccine Give Me The Flu
No. The way that flu vaccines are made, they cannot cause the flu. Flu shots are made from either flu viruses that have been inactivated OR with proteins from a flu virus. .
Nasal spray flu vaccine is made with weakened live flu viruses, and also cannot cause the flu. The weakened viruses are cold-adapted, which means they can only cause flu infection at the cooler temperatures found in your nose. These viruses cannot infect your lungs or other warmer areas of your body.
While some people may get mild side effects from the flu shot like a sore arm, a headache, muscle aches or a low fever, those side effects usually begin soon after the shot and only last 1 -2 days. These are actually signs that the vaccine is working and your body is building immunity.
What Should I Do If I Think I Am Getting The Flu
Stay home, rest, and avoid contact with others except to get medical care if needed, experts say. Avoid contact with others for at least 24 hours after the fever subsides to avoid spreading the flu.
Be on the lookout for emergency warning signs that you may be getting serious flu-related complications.
In children, these include:
- Symptoms that improve but then return with a fever and worsening cough.
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What Are Common Symptoms Of The Flu
They usually come more suddenly than cold symptoms. They include fever, feeling feverish, the chills, and having a cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle or body aches, headache, and fatigue. Less common are vomiting and diarrhea. Children are more likely to have vomiting and diarrhea than adults are.
Not everyone with the flu has a fever.
Mild Winter Means We Spend Time Less Time Indoors Spreading Germs
Theres far less sneezing, wheezing and coughing in the air this year flu season is largely missing in action across North America.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported the lowest influenza infection rate in 30 years of tracking flu activity, as well as the slowest recorded start to the flu season.
FluWatch in Canada and Google Flu Trends confirm those trends, said Dr. Peter Lin, a Toronto family doctor and commentator on CBCs Metro Morning radio show.
“Normally, the flu season would have peaked by now,” Lin said. “Right after Christmas and New Years we usually see a bump in flu numbers because people have gathered for the holidays, but that hasnt happened at all this year.”
For example, he said, compared with the flu pandemic of 2009-2010 when 40 regions across Canada were reporting flu outbreaks, this year there are five a week, typically in schools and nursing homes.
“In 2009 when they graphed it, it looked like the Rocky Mountains and this year its just small nubs,” Lin said.
The infection rate on swabs of people exhibiting flu-like symptoms is also down to just 10 per cent this year from a high of 40 per cent in 2009. That means most people who think they have the flu just have a cold.
Five reasons why there is less flu this year:
- A mild winter
- More sun equals more vitamin D
“In tropical areas, flu activity is highest during the rainy season when there is less sun and less vitamin D,” Lin said.
- Lots of people got their flu shots
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Thursday 2 September 2021
The main points from this weeks national influenza and COVID-19 surveillance report are:
Surveillance indicators suggest that at a national level COVID-19 activity has been stable in week 34 of 2021.
Case rates were highest in those aged 10 to 19, with a 7-day rate of 464.80 per 100,000 population.
The lowest case rates were in those aged 80 and above, with a 7-day rate of 110.3 per 100,000 population.
Seven-day case rates per 100,000 population were highest in the South West at 362.9.
Case rates per 100,000 were lowest in London with a 7-day rate of 226.8.
The number of acute respiratory infection incidents in England was 448 in week 34, compared to 439 in the previous week.
The hospital admission rate for week 34 was 7.02 per 100,000 population, in the previous week it was 7.90 per 100,000 population.
Hospital admission rates for COVID-19 were highest in the West Midlands, with a rate of 8.39 per 100,000 population.
The highest hospital admission rates continue to be those aged 85 and above.
Dr Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England, said:
Common Influenza Complications For Children
When young children are infected with the flu, they usually experience the same symptoms as adultstypically fever, chills, muscle aches, nasal congestion, sore throats, and headaches. In addition to these symptoms, they are also prone to be afflicted by potentially severe health complications following the contraction of the flu:
High Fever
A light fever in the range of 100-102 degrees F is a trademark symptom of influenza, but high fevers that exceed 104 degrees F may be more threatening to an individuals health. This is especially true for children and the elderly. To identify whether a fever associated with the flu may require investigation by a medical professional, evaluate the following potentially dangerous high fever symptoms:
- A temperature above 106.7 degrees F is extremely high and requires immediate medical attention.
- A constant fever, especially one that persists for 14 or more days, may be the sign of a more dangerous infection.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammation of the tissue inside of a persons lungs. In children, pneumonia commonly stems from the same virus like influenza. Therefore, pneumonia can be prevented by a collective effort to reduce the number of germs that are allowed to spread. This disease entails nearly the same symptoms as influenza but to a far more serious extent.
Bronchitis
- Sore throat
- Fatigue
- Nasal congestion
Middle Ear Infections
- Muffled hearing
- Fluid draining from the ear
- Earaches
- Irritability
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What Is Who/europe Doing
Each week during the influenza season WHO/Europe, in collaboration with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, collects and analyses influenza surveillance data from Member States and publishes a weekly Flu News Europe bulletin.
The bulletin provides public health officials and decision-makers in Member States with the information required to assess influenza activity in the Region and helps them make decisions on appropriate actions to prepare their health systems and protect the populations most likely to be affected.
Monitoring influenza virus circulation across the Region also informs WHO/Europes recommendations on the composition of vaccines, thus increasing as much as possible their effectiveness against the virus types predicted to be in widespread circulation.
Is The Flu Vaccine Safe
Yes. Flu vaccines have been used for over 50 years and have been safely given to hundreds of millions of people, including pregnant people. Flu vaccines, like all vaccines used in the U.S., are carefully monitored for safety through the U.S. vaccine monitoring systems .
Find answers to more questions about vaccine safety.
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Facts About Flu Vaccinations
- The CDC recommends that all children above six months of age receive the flu vaccine annually.
- This vaccine is normally administered via a simple intravenous injection, but a nasal spray vaccination is currently being tested for widespread use.
- The flu vaccine should take approximately two weeks to begin protecting against influenza.
- If a person receives only one vaccination when he actually needs two, it may have no effect.
- Vaccinations must be performed at least four weeks apart from each other.
- Different flu vaccines are formulated to combat each strain of the flu virus.
- Every year, medical researchers determine which flu virus will be most prevalent during the upcoming flu season and provide that information to flu vaccine manufacturers.
Some Influenza Symptoms Are Similar To Covid
Both the flu and COVID-19 spread mainly by droplets made when people cough, sneeze, or talk. Because some symptoms are similar, testing will be the only way to confirm a diagnosis. Fever, cough, sore throat and body aches are symptoms of both.
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Unique symptoms with COVID-19 are loss of taste or smell and shortness of breath.
Aventura cardiologist Dr. Leonard Pianko said it is possible to have both the flu and the new coronavirus at the same time. This is different than any other flu season because you could be hit by a double whammy, Pianko said.
This is when having the flu vaccine makes a difference, he said. You dont want to have two viruses at the same time.
Pianko said there are two types of risks from influenza the risk to your health individually and societal risks. Even if your risk for getting seriously ill from the flu is low, getting vaccinated will help you prevent giving the virus to others more at risk and help preserve hospital resources, he said.
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Thursday 5 August 2021
The main points from this weeks national influenza and COVID-19 surveillance report are:
Surveillance indicators suggest that at a national level COVID-19 activity decreased in some indicators in week 30 of 2021.
Seven-day case rates per 100,000 population decreased across all age groups but still remain high.
Case rates were highest in those aged 20 to 29, with a 7-day rate of 611 per 100,000 population and second highest in those aged 10 to 19 with a 7-day rate of 512.4 per 100,000 population.
The lowest case rates were in those aged 80 and above, with a 7-day rate of 62.3 per 100,000 population.
Seven-day case rates per 100,000 population decreased across all regions.
Seven-day case rates per 100,000 population were highest in Yorkshire and the Humber at 354.7.
Case rates per 100,000 were lowest in the South East, with a 7-day rate of 229.5.
The number of acute respiratory infection incidents in England was 407 in week 30, compared to 600 in the previous week.
The hospital admission rate for week 30 was 7.05 per 100,000 population, in the previous week it was 7.32 per 100,000 population.
Hospital admission rates for COVID-19 were highest in the North East, with a rate of 13.66 per 100,000 population.
The highest hospital admission rates continue to be those aged 85 and above.
Professor Isabel Oliver, Incident Director on COVID-19 for Public Health England, said:
What Should I Do If I Have The Flu
While most mild cases of the flu clear on their own, people with more severe symptoms or those who are at high risk of complicationssuch as young children, elderly adults, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systemsmay want to take doctor-prescribed antivirals that can speed up recovery time. These medications work particularly well if taken shortly after symptoms begin.
Whether you take medication or not, the CDC recommends staying home, resting and steering clear of other people until symptoms subside.
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Flu Activity Increasing In Us But Remains Very Low
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Although influenza activity continues to increase in the United States, it remains low enough that the CDC does not consider the flu season to have started yet, a CDC expert said.
Lynnette Brammer
While the proportion of respiratory specimens testing positive for influenza is increasing, it is still very low,Lynnette Brammer, MPH, who leads the domestic surveillance team in the CDCs Influenza Division, told Healio. Determining when the flu season starts each year involves a careful review of existing data. This season may be more challenging than usual given ongoing spread of COVID-19.
Despite fears of a so-called COVID-19 and influenza twindemic, there was an unusually low level of influenza activity in the U.S. last season likely a result of the various measures taken to lessen the spread SARS-CoV-2. Activity was so low, in fact, that the CDC was unable to estimate the effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccines.
There was a lot of uncertainty entering this season amid a loosening of COVID-19 restrictions and the possibility that immunity to some influenza viruses has waned due to less exposure. So far, activity has remained below the level at which the CDC would consider the U.S. to be in an influenza epidemic.
References:
CDC. FluView. . Updated Dec. 10, 2021. Accessed Dec. 15, 2021.
When Does Flu Season Officially Start
There is no fixed date for the start of the flu season. Instead, flu season is characteristically marked by the winter months coming in and the weather cooling down.
- Influenza may circulate lightly through populations throughout the entire year, causing a few infections, but winter weather triggers the flu to be exponentially more active.
- Although the medical field has not yet identified exactly why flu viruses are more active in the winter, cold weather is universally believed to be a primary catalyst for the start of the flu season.
- Once there is a significant spike in the number of influenza infections occurring throughout the population, the CDC officially declares that flu season has begun.
As this season progresses, the CDC constantly tracks, collects and analyzes data related to flu infections. This allows it to identify trends in when and where the flu virus is being spread. Based on these trends, the CDC can forecast when the virus is at its peak level of infectiousness and inform at-risk community members to take extra precautions.
Flu season typically falls sometime between the start of fall and the end of spring. For the past three decades, flu activity has peaked at some point between the months of October and February but always tapers off by April.
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This Winters Flu Season Epidemic Has Started What We Know So Far And What Needs To Be Done To Control It
In the week commencing 13 December the number of flu cases detected in the WHO European Region was above what we would normally expect to find in the population for the second week in a row, which indicates the so-called flu season epidemic has started.
In any given year 515% of the population is affected by influenza, leading to 35 million cases of severe flu and around 650 000 deaths globally.With COVID-19 also in high transmission across our Region, there is the risk that this so-called twindemic could put excessive pressure on already overstretched health systems.
Here is what we know so far.
This Year’s Flu Season: Repeat Of Last Year Or A Twindemic
But, experts say, it is far too early to say if the country will have a normal â i.e., bad â flu season or a repeat of last year, when the flu all but disappeared amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This flu season is starting out more like the seasons before the pandemic. About 2% of all visits to doctors and outpatient clinics through Nov. 13 were flu or flu-like illnesses, compared to about 1.4% a year ago, the CDC says. Cases so far are being counted in the hundreds â 702 through Nov. 13.
Still, while cases are low, they are increasing, the agency says. The spread of flu is already high in New Mexico and moderate in Georgia. The rest of the country is seeing little activity, according to the CDC.
This time last year, cases of flu, hospitalizations and deaths were down dramatically, despite fears that a drastic ”twindemic” could occur if cases of COVID-19 and influenza increased greatly, and in tandem. The comparisons of last year’s flu season statistics to previous years are startling â in a good way.
In the 2019-2020 season, more 22,000 people in the U.S. died from flu last year, deaths decreased to about 700 for the 2020-2021 season.
So, what might happen this year? Will flu be a no-show once again? Several top experts say itâs complicated:
Already, Schaffner says, âwe are beginning to hear about some outbreaks.”
What’s in This Year’s Vaccine?
Vaccine Timing
Two Arms, Two Vaccines
Tracking Vaccinations
Undoing the âFlu Isn’t Badâ Thinking
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Thursday 26 August 2021
The main points from this weeks national influenza and COVID-19 surveillance report are:
Surveillance indicators suggest that at a national level COVID-19 activity has been stable in week 33 of 2021.
Case rates were highest in those aged 10 to 19, with a 7-day rate of 616.5 per 100,000 population.
The lowest case rates were in those aged 80 and above, with a 7-day rate of 95.2 per 100,000 population.
Seven-day case rates per 100,000 population were highest in the South West at 481.7.
Case rates per 100,000 were lowest in London with a 7-day rate of 247.3.
The number of acute respiratory infection incidents in England was 439 in week 33, compared to 415 in the previous week.
The hospital admission rate for week 33 was 7.74 per 100,000 population, in the previous week it was 6.75 per 100,000 population.
Hospital admission rates for COVID-19 were highest in the West Midlands, with a rate of 11.46 per 100,000 population.
The highest hospital admission rates continue to be those aged 85 and above.
Alicia Demirjian, Incident Director for COVID-19 at Public Health England, said:
Respiratory syncytial virus positivity remained stable, changing from 13.9% in week 32 to 14.2% in week 33.
The highest positivity was noted in children under 5 years old, which remained stable at 26.8%.
Dr Conall Watson, Consultant Epidemiologist at PHE, said: