Monday, March 29, 2010

CDC officials continue to urge H1N1 vaccination/ Infectious Disease News

Officials with the CDC are continuing to urge people to get the H1N1 vaccine, as a small uptick in H1N1 cases has been reported in the Southeast.
Anne Schuchat, MD, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases said seasonal influenza activity is low this season, with H1N1 reported as the predominant strain. However, federal health officials are noticing a slight increase in cases in the Southeast, particularly in Georgia, where H1N1 vaccination rates are among some of the lowest in the country. Schuchat said 40 Georgia residents were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed H1N1 in the past week...
Deaths from pneumonia and influenza are less than the epidemic threshold, Schuchat said.
No states are reporting widespread flu activity, and only three states — Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina — are reporting regional activity. 
 *  Yet in the US, cases are the lowest they have been overall since the 2009-10 flu season began last September -- Nass:

INFLUENZA Virus Isolated

No comments: