Influenza A viruses are the predominant flu strain this season, according to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The predominant flu viruses identified so far this season are genetically closely related to the virus used to make this year’s flu vaccine, according to the latest FluView report from the CDC. The report says that there are some antigenic differences that have developed as H3N2 viruses have continued to evolve.
During the previous week, out of 79,667 laboratory samples tested for the flu, just 1,543 tested positive. This represents only 1.9% of all samples tested. A little more than 97% of those testing positive were attributed to influenza A.
Overall, the number of specimens testing positive for influenza remains stable, suggesting that flu circulation levels have not changed much over the past two weeks, even while overall levels of respiratory illness have declined.
An estimate from the CDC shows that so far during this season there have been approximately 2 million influenza illnesses, 20,000 hospitalizations, and 1,200 deaths related to the flu virus.
More data on the current flu season is available at the CDC website, here.
Influenza A
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RT delivers in-depth coverage of the clinical, regulatory, and technology landscape for respiratory therapy—and reaches more than 28,000 key decision-makers and influencers. As one of healthcare’s most important data companies, we facilitate the rapid adoption of medical devices and practice management tools into the industry.
