US Faces Flu Surge, Rising COVID Wastewater Levels and First H5N1 Death
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The United States is contending with three concurrent respiratory threats. Influenza A (H1N1 2009-like) emergency department visits have surged, with flu reaching 8.4% of ED visits in Oregon in late December, roughly triple the same-season peak a year earlier. This season's trivalent vaccine faces questions after the 2024 southern hemisphere season showed 35% protection against hospitalisation in high-risk groups, down from 50% in 2023. COVID-19, driven mainly by the XEC variant with LP.18.1 at about one-tenth of cases, has risen from medium to high in wastewater surveillance. H5N1 avian influenza has caused about 66 US cases, including the first death, in Louisiana, with no evidence of human-to-human transmission. Open questions include how vaccine effectiveness holds up in the northern hemisphere season and whether H5N1 changes transmission pattern.
Written by a model from the reports · updated 2 hours ago
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- youtube.comUS Flu ED Visits Surge, COVID Wastewater Rises, H5N1 Logs First Death
Influenza A (H1N1 2009-like) emergency visits have surged in the US, with flu reaching 8.4% of emergency department visits in Oregon in late December, about triple the same-season peak a year earlier. This season's vaccine is trivalent, and the 2024 southern hemisphere season showed only 35% protection against hospitalisation in high-risk groups, down from 50% in 2023. COVID-19, driven mainly by the XEC variant with LP.18.1 at about one-tenth, has risen from medium to high in wastewater surveillance, while H5N1 has caused about 66 US cases including the first death, in Louisiana, with no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
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