Flu Cases in the US Rise Dramatically, Nearly 5 Million People Infected and Thousands Dead

Illustration of a flu case. (Freepik)

JAKARTA - Flu cases in the United States continue to show an increase. The latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that nearly 5 million flu cases have been reported nationwide since the beginning of this season.

New York City is one of the areas with the highest levels of flu-like activity in the country.

A number of states such as Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Texas have recorded moderate levels of respiratory disease activity.

Meanwhile, other states are still at low to very low levels.

The CDC estimates that at least 4.6 million cases of flu have occurred so far, with about 49,000 patients having to be hospitalized, and 1,900 deaths from the flu this season.

Most of the flu cases circulating today are associated with a new variant known as the K subclade. Of the more than 900 flu samples analyzed by the CDC, about 90 percent were influenza A(H3N2) viruses.

Of the samples that underwent further genetic examination, almost 90 percent of them belonged to the K subclade.

The CDC notes that mutations in this new variant cause incompatibility with the composition of this season's flu vaccine. However, experts emphasize that the flu vaccine is still useful, especially for reducing the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death.

Epidemiologist and ABC News medical contributor John Brownstein said vaccination is still important despite the differences between the vaccine and the circulating variant.

"Even with the emergence of new variants and inconsistencies with vaccines, flu shots are still very worthwhile," he said, quoted from the ABC News website.

According to Brownstein, vaccines still provide strong protection against serious impacts such as hospitalization and death, especially as flu activity continues to increase.

This week, two children's deaths due to flu were reported again, bringing the total number of children's deaths due to flu this season to three cases.

For comparison, the previous flu season recorded a record with 288 child deaths, the same number as during the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009.

The figure is the highest since 2004, when reporting of child deaths from flu was required by the CDC.

The CDC study also found that about 90 percent of children who died from last season's flu did not receive the vaccine. The current flu vaccination rate for children is also down about 10 percent compared to before the pandemic, with only about 40 percent of children having received the vaccine this season.

Nationally, about 140 million doses of flu vaccine have been distributed throughout the season, up from last season's 128 million doses.

The CDC recommends that everyone over the age of six months get the annual flu vaccine. Experts insist it's not too late to get vaccinated.

"This is a period when flu usually starts to increase, and we expect activity to continue to increase in the coming weeks," said Brownstein.

He added that indoor gatherings and increased travel during the holiday season could accelerate the spread of flu.

The public is urged to remain vigilant, maintain cleanliness, and not force activities when sick, in order to reduce the spread of the flu which is increasingly widespread.