NBC News – Doctors’ visits for flu-like symptoms — fevers, sore throat, extreme fatigue and body aches — have hit the highest level in nearly 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and are likely to continue to rise in the coming weeks. At least 5,000 people have died this season, including nine children.
For the week ending Dec. 27, the CDC reported that nearly 1 in 10 outpatient visits nationwide — 8.2% — were for flu-like illnesses.
That’s the highest logged since the CDC started tracking such visits in 1997. The flu has accounted for more than 11 million illnesses this season and 120,000 hospitalizations.
Forty-five states are experiencing high to very high levels of flu activity.
Only Montana, South Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia are experiencing low to moderate flu spread. Data for Nevada was “insufficient,” the agency said.
Because the latest data is from the week of Christmas, it doesn’t yet reflect illnesses caused by holiday travel and gatherings.
“It’s still too soon to know what the impact of the holiday season is going to be on flu activity,” said Krista Kniss, an epidemiologist in the CDC’s influenza division. “We’re not anywhere close to being done.”
Dr. Nick Cozzi, emergency medical services director for Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said the flu is keeping his team “incredibly busy.”
“I see a lot of patients coming in with cough, runny nose, shortness of breath, diarrhea and bone-chilling body aches,” he said.
Compounding the problem, many patients are dealing with other viruses, like Covid or RSV, on top of flu, Cozzi said.
A significant number of patients, he said, are also having trouble breathing.
“We’re admitting patients at a higher rate than we normally do,” he said. “Their oxygen levels are lower than normal, creating a potential situation which can be life-threatening unless they receive supplemental oxygen” …
