Flu season is ramping up; Oregon reports ‘very high’ activity

The US flu season is getting worse.

Health officials said Friday that 7.5% of outpatient visits to the doctor last week were for flu-like illnesses. That’s as high as the peak of the 2017-18 flu season. and more than any season since.

The annual winter flu season usually doesn’t start until December or January, but this one started early and was complicated by the simultaneous spread of other viruses.

Measuring traffic in doctor’s offices is based on reports of symptoms such as cough and sore throat, not on laboratory-confirmed diagnoses. Therefore, it can also include other respiratory diseases.

This makes it difficult to compare with flu seasons before the COVID-19 pandemic. The other years also did not have any this year’s unusually strong RSV waveor respiratory syncytial virus, a common cause of cold-like symptoms it can be serious for infants and the elderly.

Meanwhile, 44 states reported high or very high flu activity last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Oregon and Washington are in a very high category.

This may not bode well in the near future. There is likely to be more spread of respiratory viruses during Thanksgiving gatherings and at crowded airports, experts say.

So far, the dominant flu strain has typically been associated with higher rates of hospitalizations and deaths, particularly in people over 65.

The CDC estimates there have been at least 78,000 hospitalizations and 4,500 deaths from the flu so far this season. The deaths include at least 14 children.

In the tri-county Portland area, 7,583 people tested positive for the flu and 78 people were hospitalized in the week ending Nov. 26, according to the latest data released by the Oregon Health Authority. This is a 56 percent increase in the number of hospitalizations compared to the previous week.

Flu shots are recommended for almost all Americans who are at least 6 months of age or older.

— By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer and The Oregonian/OregonLive

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