Practice Management
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has returned to publishing its seasonal FluView updates, reporting that for the week ending November 8, positive influenza tests are up 2% over the previous week, and 1,665 patients were admitted to hospitals with influenza. According to global reports, the mutated H3N2 flu virus is spreading faster than usual, and CDC found this subtype in more than 62% of subtyping performed for the past 2 weeks of …
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The cumulative influenza-associated hospitalization rate for the 2024–2025 season was the highest since 2010–2011, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which classified the season overall as “high severity.” Hospital admissions from October 1, 2024, through April 30, 2025, reached 127.1 per 100,000 population and were highest among Americans aged 75 years and older (598.8). Across age groups, hospitalization rates during last season were 1.8 to 2.8 times higher …
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The particularly harsh 2024-2025 flu season is now in its seventh week of declining cases, according to fresh Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updates. Even so, activity has remained high for 18 weeks and counting, and the season is expected to linger on for several more weeks, says CDC. Pediatric deaths now number 168 for the season. The percentage of outpatient visits has been highest among those aged 0 to 4 years, followed …
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Flu activity surged in the United States during the final week of January with healthcare visits for respiratory virus symptoms reaching a notably high level, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Flu test positivity rose to 31.6%, and outpatient visits for flu-like illness climbed to 7.8%, staying above the national baseline for the 10th consecutive week. Flu activity remains high or very high across most of the country. The CDC estimates …
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One clue that helps forecast the forthcoming respiratory virus season in North America is the trend data from the Southern Hemisphere’s experience. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the 2024 flu season, which is winding down this month, was similar to previous flu seasons in the Southern Hemisphere—a signal that northern countries may not see any particular highs or lows in terms of severity or case numbers. Flu activity in South …
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The risk of atherothrombotic events in patients aged 50 and older care more than double in the 14 days following an influenza diagnosis, according to research presented in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. For those with severe cases, the risk of acute myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke increased more than 4-fold and remained high for 2 months following the flu event. Authors examined the link between influenza illness diagnosed in the primary care and hospital settings …
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Flu season continues, and providers in several US markets are seeing surges in respiratory-virus-related visits. Meanwhile, new data also shows a year-over-year increase in antiviral prescriptions to treat influenza, according to a news report in Fierce Healthcare, leveraging data from Evernorth Research Institute (a Cigna subsidiary). Analyzing pharmacy claims for 32 million people, researchers noted an uptick in antiviral prescriptions in the weeks following Thanksgiving 2023 when compared to a similar time period during past …
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In late November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that the number of healthcare visits related to influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was particularly high among children, causing concern in communities about this “tripledemic” of respiratory illness. According to Experity data, the first week of October ushered in flu season for urgent care, when positivity rates for the three viruses among all urgent care center visits began to rise.1 Since …
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In a cohort study of more than 2.7 million emergency department (ED) visits published in JAMA Network Open, researchers found long wait times and lengths of stay were common at children’s hospitals during the 2022 surge of viral respiratory illnesses. They studied visits across 25 EDs from September 1 to December 31, 2022, including 301,688 pediatric visits for viral and respiratory illness, such as COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus. The experience during this time period …
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that the 2017-2018 flu season saw 172 children die from influenza—the most recent being just a week ago. It’s the deadliest flu season ever for children, a record made all the more tragic by the fact that 80% of the children who died were not vaccinated against the flu, according to the CDC. In addition to the flu being especially severe, it remained active in every …
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