Flu widespread in 36 states, CDC report

It's still too early to say whether this winter will be a bad season for the flu, but epidemiologists in 36 states already have reported widespread influenza activity to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Friday. Twenty-one of those states show a high number of cases.

"It's just one of those years where the CDC is seeing that this strain of flu is only somewhat covered by the vaccine that was given this year," said Jennifer Radtke, manager for infection prevention at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. "They're seeing that it's anywhere from 10% to 33% effective, so any time there’s a mismatch between the vaccine and the circulating strain of the flu, you’re going to see more cases."

Vaccine effectiveness varies from year to year though recent studies show that the flu shot typically reduces the risk of illness by 40% to 60% among the overall population when the circulating virus is matched closely to the vaccine virus, according to the CDC.

Peak flu activity in the U.S. usually occurs around February.

Because only a certain percentage of people with flu symptoms go to hospitals and get tested, it can be challenging to track the actual number of people affected, Radtke said. False negative results for flu tests are also common, so it’s likely the number of people with the flu is much higher.
"It's not uncommon to see it this time of year," she said. "But we've had cold Decembers before and not had flu."

The flu season begins in October and lasts until May.

Flu symptoms include fever, body aches, chills, fatigue, cough and a sore throat. The illness typically passes within a few days but can be especially dangerous to the very young, the very old, pregnant women and those with respiratory problems; it can develop into pneumonia.

• In California, at least 10 people younger than 65 have died, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. An 11th death occurred Thursday. The state does not track flu-related deaths among those 65 and older.

• In Delaware, a 47-year-old man with underlying health problems and an 83-year-old woman have died, state health officials said.

• In North Carolina, 12 people, including a child, have died.

• In South Carolina, seven have died. All were age 65 or older.

Getting a flu shot now is still one way to combat the virus even though it can't promise total immunity, health officials say.

More insurers fully cover the cost, and pharmacists in all states now can administer the vaccinations, according to the American Pharmacists Association trade group.