Current influenza update - Washington State

The CDC announced 2 weeks ago the beginning of the flu season. It's a bit late this year but we're seeing typical case numbers in Washington State. The good news: it's not too late to get vaccinated! You can see in this chart that most of the flu so far has been an influenza A (H3).It's pretty much a mixed bag.

Flu types 2-27-12

More good news: We haven't seen much resistance to tamiflu. This is routine testing done at the CDC to keep track of what's going on, not for treatment. From the CDC:

All viruses tested for the 2011-2012 season since October 1, 2011 have been susceptible to the neuraminidase inhibitor antiviral medications oseltamivir and zanamivir as were the majority of viruses tested last season; however, rare sporadic cases of oseltamivir resistant 2009 influenza A (H1N1) and A (H3N2) viruses have been detected worldwide. Antiviral treatment with oseltamivir or zanamivir is recommended as early as possible for patients with confirmed or suspected influenza who have severe, complicated, or progressive illness; who require hospitalization; or who are at greater risk for influenza-related complications

 Here's a map of flu activity by state:

flu activity by state

The following influenza activity was reported:

• Widespread influenza activity was reported by 2 states (California and Colorado).
• Regional influenza activity was reported by 13 states (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Virginia).
• Local influenza activity was reported by 20 states (Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington, and Wyoming).
• Sporadic influenza activity was reported by the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 15 states (Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin).
• No influenza activity was reported by Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.