Flu epidemic rises as expected
By Steve Sternberg, USA TODAY

◆(1)The USA's flu epidemic continued to grow last week, with cases mounting in every state and a dozen new deaths among children, the government's leading flu expert said Friday. Altogether 22 children have died of flu so far, with widespread flu activity reported in 49 states, up from 44 last week, says Nancy Cox, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention influenza division. Only Florida is reporting regional flu activity for the week ending Feb. 16th, according to the CDC.

◆(2)"Influenza activity has continued to increase, but not quite as dramatically as over the previous two weeks," she said in her weekly flu update. "We're within the normal parameters of what we'd expect for an influenza season."

◆(3)Cox blamed much of the flu's recent influx on a switch in dominant viruses. The virus circulating in December and January had spread widely enough in previous years for people to build up immunity through infection or vaccination. More people in the USA were susceptible to the newer virus, she said. Another reason for the rise in cases is a mismatch in the make-up of the current flu vaccine. Only one of the three strains in the current vaccine matches those causing most of this year's cases, leaving people with less protection against two of the circulating strains.

◆(4)As a result of the mismatch, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended on Thursday that all three flu viruses in this year's vaccine be replaced with three others for next year's flu season, citing a major change in the mix of circulating flu bugs. Vaccine manufacturers have had a "head start" in growing viruses that will be used in next year's vaccine, Cox says, because flu officials in September recommended a similar switch for the upcoming flu season in the Southern Hemisphere.



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