Flu cases remain low
Michigan is not alone in the abnormally low number of flu cases this season. According to the Centers for Disease Control, every U.S. state and territory has had minimal flu reports no matter the level of COVID cases.
A total of 25 patient visits due to influenza like illness (ILI) was reported out of 6,217 office visits in Michigan for the week ending March 13. That is a 0.4 ILI activity rate for the state which is the same as last week.
A year ago on March 14 it was at 3.4 percent when there were 242 patient visits out of 7,137 office visits.
Comparatively, the number nationally is 0.9 percent of outpatient visits which is up from 0.8 percent from last week. It’s substantially lower than it was a year ago when it stood at 5.8 percent.
The CDC has reported since the beginning of the flu season in October that seasonal flu activity is lower than usual this year.
ILI is defined as a fever (higher than 100 degrees) and a cough and/or a sore throat without a known cause other than influenza.
Nationally one pediatric death due to the flu has been confirmed for the 2020-2021 flu season. No pediatric deaths have been reported by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. At this time last year 149 pediatric deaths due to the flu had been reported nationally with four confirmed by the MDHHS.
The World Health Organization has reported that the 2020-2021 influenza season has had record-low reported influenza cases. Decreased influenza activity could be due to reduced influenza surveillance and reporting from many countries, use of respiratory protection, mitigation strategies, and social-distancing related to COVID-19.
If you have flu symptoms and are at high risk of serious flu complications, call your healthcare provider as soon as possible. Your provider may decide to treat you with flu antiviral medications.