Latest Respiratory Healthcare Issues Impacting the US before Christmas

r. j. sigmund sent Angry Bear a recent US healthcare updated report on what is impacting the US before Christmas. Good idea to take precautions and be aware of occurrences. Something to keep in mind while traveling for Christmas. Take precautions.

Illnesses caused by respiratory viruses increase in US 

Ahead of the Christmas holiday week, respiratory virus activity triggering healthcare visits is at the moderate level, with further rises seen for flu, activity up from low levels for COVID-19, and high levels for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) . . . the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its updates, which also included updated seasonal outlooks.

The CDC said it expects the current winter respiratory virus season to have similar or fewer peak hospitalizations for all three viruses compared to last season. It estimated that, for COVID, however, if a new variant with immune-escape properties doesn’t emerge, the peak burden will likely be lower than last season and occur in late December or early January. In its weekly FluView update, covering the week ending December 13, the CDC said test positivity, emergency department (ED) visits for flu, and the percentage of outpatient visits for flulike illness all rose from the previous week’s level.

At public health labs, influenza A made up nearly 97% of positive detections, and, of subtyped viruses, 53.5% were the H3N2 strain and 46.2% were 2009 H1N1. Hospitalizations also rose for all age-groups and are highest in seniors ages 75 and older. Outpatient visits for flulike illness rose to 3.8% and have now been above the national baseline of 3.0% for 3 weeks.

Two states—Louisiana and Oregon—are reporting very high activity, a measure of outpatient visits, while 13 are reporting high activity, mostly across the South and West. Of the two pediatric flu deaths, one involved an unsub-typed influenza A virus and occurred the week ending December 7. The other was due to influenza B and occurred last week. So far, four pediatric flu deaths have been reported to the CDC this season.

In its COVID tracking, the CDC said wastewater levels, ED visits, and test positivity continue to increase from low levels, with wastewater detections remaining at the moderate level nationally and highest in the Midwest. In new estimates, the CDC said 72,000 to 120,000 people have been hospitalized for COVID since October 1, along with 8,200 to 13,000 deaths over the same time period.  Meanwhile, in its latest variant proportion projections today, the CDC reports a further rise in XEC viruses, which are now the most commonly reported variant, at 45%. The only other variant showing a notable rise was LP.8.1, up from 4% to 8% over the past 2 weeks.

US whooping cough cases soar, but public knowledge of the contagious disease remains low

US cases of pertussis (whooping cough), rose sixfold from 2023 to Nov 30, 2024, yet public knowledge of the highly contagious bacterial disease is lacking, suggests a survey today from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

The data came from the 22nd wave of a nationally representative panel of 1,771 adults surveyed from November 14 to 24, 2024. Annenberg has been tracking public knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors surrounding vaccination, COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other health issues through this panel since 2021.

After a COVID-19 pandemic–related lull, pertussis infections have climbed steeply, with more than 28,000 cases reported so far this year, six times as many as in the same period in 2023, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC recommends that everyone aged 7 years and older, including pregnant women, receive the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine. Infants and young children can receive the diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine. Some survey highlights:

• Thirty percent of respondents didn’t know that pertussis is the same as whooping cough or that it is vaccine preventable.

• Only 29% knew all three diseases that the Tdap vaccine protects against and chose no incorrect ones.

• A total of 85% said they would likely recommend that an 11- or 12-year-old child in their household or an adult due for a 10-year booster get a Tdap vaccine. And 80% said the vaccine is effective.

• When shown a list of symptoms and asked which ones apply to pertussis, the only one nearly universally recognized (83%) was coughing fits. Low-grade fever was correctly selected as a symptom by 44%, vomiting after coughing by 33%, and a runny nose by 30%.