Flu activity is increasing in the United States, and the St. Louis region is no exception.
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the rate of positive flu cases shot up 16% in the week ending Dec. 20, the latest data available, and 6% of emergency room visits that week were due to the flu.
Department officials said Wednesday those statistics this month “have climbed above baseline levels.”
“Flu is more than just a seasonal inconvenience — it can lead to serious health outcomes, especially in vulnerable populations,” George Turabelidze, Missouri’s state epidemiologist, said in a press release. “Influenza vaccination and simple preventive steps are key to keeping Missouri families healthy this winter.”
Health officials report hospitalizations due to flu are also increasing in Illinois, with a little more than 2% of hospitalizations due to the virus.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said this week the country is seeing “sustained elevated” flu activity, though severity indicators such as hospitalizations and deaths remain relatively low for now.
It’s not unusual for cases of respiratory illnesses to increase as people gather for the winter holidays indoors with children. Federal health officials say flu activity is expected to continue for several weeks.
World health officials annually choose which strains to use when concocting the next vaccines based on what is circulating at the time, but sometimes the virus drifts between when the vaccine is concocted and when people receive the shot.
Researchers have said this year’s vaccine may be mismatched with the currently circulating flu type known as subclade K.
However, scientists and public health officials say that immunizations can still keep people from getting dangerously sick, and that it’s not too late to get the vaccine.
