Along with the pneumonia it spawns, this year’s epidemic may be killing 4,000 people every week.
The amount of influenza ravaging the U.S. this year rivals levels normally seen when an altogether new virus emerges, decimating a vulnerable population that hasn’t had a chance to develop any defenses.
It’s an unexpected phenomenon that public health experts are still trying to decode.
The levels of influenza-like illnesses being reported now are as high as the peak of the swine flu epidemic in 2009, and exceed the last severe seasonal flu outbreak in 2003 when a new strain started circulating, said Anne Schuchat, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s acting director. Swine flu, which swept the globe in 2009 and 2010, sickened 60.8 million Americans, hospitalized 274,304 and killed 12,469, according to CDC data. Deaths from the current outbreak will likely far outstrip those of the 2009-2010 season.
“This is a difficult season, and we can’t predict how much longer the severe season will last,” she said. “I wish there was better news, but everything we are looking at is bad news.”
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
7 comments:
A friend of mine's son passed away Friday from the flu. This is a serious problem.
Just wish people would have enough sense to stay home.
You are not a hero showing up to work sick.
I don't appreciate people coughing all over produce in the supermarket.
And hospitals are partly at fault for sending people home with an RX when they should be hospitalized. Please - stay home if you are sick. Times have changed and so should our way of thinking
My condolences to you Joe.
It's not the hospital's fault for not keeping the sick patients. It's the insurance companies that kick them out to save money.
I hope Larry Hogan gets it!
Fort Deitrick is very good at what they do.
But sick days for employees are out of the question because they are too burdensome.
5:56 is an evil person and I hope that you get a Democrat governor for the next 2 terms.
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