The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting 16 deaths of children the week ending 22 December 2012. H3N2 (a type of flu A) is the main flu strain, with flu B in second place.
01 January 2013, California reporting two people dead of flu. One person died from flu B.
Missouri officials reporting a spike in flu cases. Between September and the end of December 2012, 8,000 cases!!! 55% of cases are children between the ages of two and 14.
Massachusetts (the land of Romney Care) reporting ten times the ‘normal’ amount of flu cases. 3,736 confirmed flu cases now, compared to just 126 for the same time in 2011!
Ohio health officials report a jump in flu related hospitalizations. 863 people have already been hospitalized, compared to only 65 during the same time in 2011.
Florida is reporting record numbers of sick people in the central part of the Sunshine State. 637 confirmed cases of influenza during xmas week. 450 confirmed cases the week before that. The flu is affecting economic activity: “I run a small landscaping company. I’ve had two guys out for a week, and it keeps spreading like wildfire.”-Nathan Bassett
Minnesota officials are predicting their worst flu season in years. Some hospitals are near capacity, with about 25% of emergency room cases being flu related: “We’ve seen big spikes in demand at our emergency rooms and our urgent cares with influenza and influenza-like illness, and a lot of patients who have been hospitalized with it as well, particularly in our community hospitals.”-Brent Asplin, Fairview Medical Group
Texas, still reeling from West Nile, reporting packed emergency rooms: “It’s been very busy. Flu season is definitely here.”-Neal Talbott, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital
Talbott admitted that getting the vaccine will not prevent you from getting sick: “Most people, if they get the flu, if they get the flu shot, it will be less severe.”
Indiana health officials have fired eight hospital staff for refusing to take the influenza vaccination, despite increasing reports saying the vaccines don’t work.
Utah officials are reporting that a few influenza hospitalizations are caused by a type of flu not covered by current vaccines. Officials say things are too unpredictable: “We could see and probably will see more cases of influenza occurring, but we have no way of predicting how severe it will be.”-Rebecca Ward, Utah Department of Health
South Dakota reporting 355 cases so far. Compare that to only five cases for the same time in 2011! Health officials in the Mount Rushmore State doubt the effectiveness of vaccines, or claims of a new flu, it’s a mystery: “We don’t have a new virus circulating, we don’t have lower immunization rates. We don’t have anything really that we can put our hand on.”-Lon Kightlinger, South Dakota Department of Health
In Nebraska, a confirmed case of flu A has been found in an 11 months old baby. Health officials reporting an almost equal number of flu A and flu B cases.
As of 22 December 2012, CDC reports Widespread influenza activity: Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Regional influenza activity: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Washington.
Local influenza activity: District of Columbia (Washington DC), Delaware, Oregon and Vermont.
Sporadic influenza activity: California and Hawaii.