The latest weekly flu report has been released indicating Baxter is one of nine counties in Arkansas with a public school absenteeism rate above 10% at 10.05%. The state’s average school absenteeism rate for the week ending Saturday was 7.6%. Dallas County had the state’s highest absenteeism rate at 27.87%.
In North Central Arkansas the report indicates the absenteeism rate stood at 9.8% for Fulton County, followed by Izard at 8.8%, Marion at 8.6%, Searcy at 8.5%, Boone at 6.7%, Newton at 5.8% and Stone at 5.3%.
During the flu seasons the ADH produces a Weekly Influenza Report for clinicians. The report provides information on flu activity in the state. The report also compares influenzalike-illness (ILI) in Arkansas to activity in the U.S. ADH receives reports of only a fraction of flu cases, since it only requires reports of hospitalizations, deaths and outbreaks.Therefore, it is important to understand the information in the weekly update is representative of the timing and location of activity, but it does not reflect the overall burden of disease. It is presumed there are many more people actually affected than the report shows.
Since Sept. 29, over 16,900 positive influenza tests have been reported to the ADH online database by health care providers, with over 2,800 positive tests reported this past week. Reported cases reflect only a portion of the actual numbers of flu cases in the state.
Among flu antigen tests that can distinguish between influenza A and B virus types, 48% were influenza A, and 52% were influenza B.
To date, 36 influenza-related deaths have been reported in Arkansas this flu season, with one of them being pediatric. The CDC estimates 10,000 flu deaths have occurred nationwide, with 68 pediatric ones being reported this season.
To date, five facilities including three nursing homes in Arkansas have reported influenza outbreaks.
To view the full report, click Weekly influenza report
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