20 children have already died from a flu epidemic in the US

Фото: Depositphotos

Influenza is rampant in all states except the Hawaiian Islands (and the District of Columbia), according to data from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, writes CNN.

Last week, 11718 new laboratory-confirmed cases were reported and 7 was fatal in children. The grand total for the season is 60 161 people and 20 deaths for children.

It is noted that 7% of all registered deaths were provoked by pneumonia and influenza, this is above the norm, experts say.

In addition, last week (on January 6), 22,7 hospitalized for every 100 thousand people, which is higher than the week ending December 30 - 13,7 hospitalized for 100 thousand people. The majority of those hospitalized were people over the age of 65, the second largest group is 50-64, and children younger than 5.

“We are currently in a very active flu season that is spreading across much of the country. It will take many more weeks for flu activity to slow,” said CDC Director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald.

In turn, the head of the department of internal control over the CDC flu, Linnett Brammer, believes that in the south of the country the flu has reached its peak and will decline, but the northern states are still threatened.

Doctors say that such a large-scale epidemic in the United States began because of the H3N2 virus. In recent years, it is the most common type of flu, and from season to season it mutates, causing more and more serious complications. Director of the CDC Influenza Department, Dr. Dan Jernigan, believes that the effectiveness of vaccination this season may be about 30%.

The most confirmed risk of complications from influenza is the elderly, children and people with weak immune systems.

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