U.S. H1N1 Deaths and Statistics, 7 November 2009
Weekly Swine Flu Statistics from the American CDC
Nov 14, 2009
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) uses a variety of tracking methods to keep people informed about U.S. swine flu statistics. H1N1 activity in the United States is actually decreasing this week as compared to last week, notwithstanding that this is still the deadliest flu season in decades.
Statistics for Swine Flu in the United States
During the first week of November, official data collected by the CDC shows that pandemic influenza activity decreased slightly in the U.S.
Widespread flu activity is currently reported by 46 states. Texas, Kansas, Mississippi, and Hawaii are reporting "regional" influenza transmission and Washington, D.C. reports only local occurrences of influenza.
Swine Flu Declines - Is the H1N1 Threat Over?
The number of samples testing positive for influenza has fallen for two weeks in a row now, falling from 8017 two weeks ago to 2830 this week. That means a notable decrease of almost 65% in confirmed influenza cases in a two-week span. U.S. hospitalizations and deaths from influenza-related complications have both fallen about 26% since last week.
While these numbers are certainly encouraging, people should remember that both the transmission of influenza and related complications and deaths are much higher than normal and still remain well above epidemic levels.
Doctor Visits for Flu Symptoms
People are seeing their doctors in higher-than-usual numbers in every state of the U.S. The national baseline for this time of year is 2.3%, but this week shows that 6.7% of doctor visits nationwide were due to influenza-like symptoms. These numbers are down slightly, however, from statistics last week.
Number of Cases of American Swine Flu
Of the 14,541 total specimens tested for influenza this week, 3,834 (30.1%) tested positive. Nearly all of these (99.5%) were influenza A. Nearly one-fourth of these could not or were not tested for subtype, but of the samples that were tested for subtype, nearly all were pandemic H1N1 influenza.
U.S. H1N1 Hospitalizations and Deaths
This week, there were about 3,400 hospitalizations due to H1N1 the U.S. The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza was 7.7%, above the epidemic level of 6.8% for the sixth consecutive week. The charts indicate deaths from swine flu in the United States hovered between 100 and 150 this week.
H1N1 Pediatric Deaths
This week, there were 26 confirmed swine flu deaths in American children. That brings the total of pediatric influenza deaths to a total of 117 this flu season. Here's a breakdown of those 117 deaths by age:
- under 2 years old: 18 deaths
- 2-4 years old: 12 deaths
- 5-11 years old: 41 deaths
- 12-17 years old: 46 deaths
While most of these deaths (84%) were due to 2009 H1N1, some were due to other strains of influenza. Since the CDC started monitoring the H1N1 situation in late April, there have been a total of 179 influenza deaths.
Treatment for H1N1 and Drug Resistance
Since pandemic H1N1 is only distantly related to seasonal influenza, people are advised to get an H1N1-specific flu vaccination. The regular seasonal flu shot will not protect against swine flu.
Testing has shown a very small number (0.3%) of H1N1 viruses to be resistant to traditional antiviral treatments like oseltamivir and zanamivir. A total of 15 oseltamivir resistant H1N1 viruses have been found in the U.S. since April.
U.S. flu statistics indicate that the H1N1 pandemic has reached peak levels and is actually starting to decline, but the health emergency is far from over. Numbers of confirmed H1N1 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are all occurring at above-epidemic levels, although they are occurring less often than last week.
Stay updated with the most recent information on the swine flu pandemic at This Week's H1N1 Deaths and Statistics.
Sources:
"2009-2010 Influenza Season Week 44 ending November 7, 2009" Flu View weekly surveillance report from the Influenza Division of the U.S. Center for Disease Control
2009 H1N1 Flu: Situation Update, U.S. Center for Disease Control
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