Epidemic Levels: Tens of Thousands Infected as this Year’s Flu Vaccine Totally Ineffective
Headlines across the country are indicative of epidemic fears.
- 9 Texas schools have closed due to flu outbreaks this month
- Several Tennessee schools closed due to the flu
- Flu has sent more than three times the number of people to the hospital in Colorado than usual
- The University of Chicago hospital is even taking steps to restrict visitors. In a recent article, the hospital “will not allow children under age 12 and those with a fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose or nasal congestion will not be allowed to visit patients.
- U.S. not prepared for a flu pandemic, experts warn
- Texas flu epidemic spreading rampantly
An Ineffective Flu Shot Has Led to Health Concerns
| Week 50 | Data Cumulative since October 1, 2017 (Week 40) |
|
|---|---|---|
| No. of specimens tested | 1,623 | 15,994 |
| No. of positive specimens* | 795 | 5,046 |
| Positive specimens by type/subtype | ||
| Influenza A | 689 (86.7%) | 4,387 (86.9%) |
| A(H1N1)pmd09 | 58 (8.4%) | 366 (8.3%) |
| H3N2 | 611 (88.7%) | 3,965 (90.4%) |
| Subtyping not performed | 20 (2.9%) | 56 (1.3%) |
| Influenza B | 106 (13.3%) | 659 (13.1%) |
| Yamagata lineage | 75 (70.8%) | 438 (66.5%) |
| Victoria lineage | 10 (9.4%) | 39 (5.9%) |
| Lineage not performed | 21 (19.8%) | 182 (27.6%) |
*The percent of specimens testing positive for influenza is not reported because public health laboratories often receive samples that have already tested positive for influenza at a clinical laboratory and therefore percent positive would not be a valid indicator of influenza activity. Additional information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/overview.htm.
