JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – The flu season is off and running in the Deep South, including Arkansas.
The most recent weekly flu report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention finds high levels of flu-like illness in Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina and Texas. The highest level in that report for the week ended Nov. 16 was in Mississippi.
While the CDC reports high levels of flu-like illness for the week ending Nov. 16, the more recent report from the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) for the week ending Saturday is more positive.
The most recent report from the ADH indicates a “moderate” rate of influenza-like-illness (ILI), down from a “high” rate the previous week.
In addition, the public school absenteeism rate for the week ending last Saturday also saw a decline, with the state’s average dropping to 5.6% from 6.7% the previous week.
Closer to home, the school absenteeism rate dropped in Baxter, Fulton, Izard, Newton and Stone counties.
However, the rate increased in Marion County from 5.37% to 6.27% and in Searcy County from 5.26% to 5.99%.
Medical personnel say travel and family gatherings can help contribute to the flu’s spread.
CDC officials say it’s not too late to get vaccinated. They say the flu vaccine is the best way to prevent flu and its complications.
So far in the 2019-2020 flu season, CDC has reported four flu-associated deaths among children.
During the flu season the ADH produces a Weekly Influenza Report for clinicians. The report provides information on flu activity in the state. The report also compares 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, 1,558 positive influenza tests have been reported to the ADH online database by health care providers, with over 260 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, 61 percent were influenza A, and 39 percent were influenza B.
To date, four influenza-related deaths have been reported in Arkansas this flu season.
To date, no nursing homes in Arkansas have reported influenza outbreaks.
To view the full report, click here.
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