Flu cases remain low due to coronavirus

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the cases of flu this season in Michigan and around the country have been lower than in past years.

A total of 19 patient visits due to influenza like illness (ILI) was reported out of 6,042 office visits in Michigan for the week ending April 10. That is a 0.3 percent ILI activity rate for the state which is the same as last week.

A year ago on April 11 it was at 1.2 percent when there were 50 patient visits out of 4,019 office visits.

Comparatively, the number nationally is 1.1 percent of outpatient visits which is up from 1.0 percent last week. It’s lower than it was a year ago when it stood at 1.2 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 168 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.

Much like COVID-19, influenza viruses are spread when a person who has influenza coughs, sneezes, or speaks which releases viruses into the air where other people can inhale the viruses. When these viruses enter the nose, throat, or lungs of a person, they begin to multiply, causing disease. The viruses may also be spread when a person touches a surface with flu viruses on it and then touches their nose or mouth, according to the MDHHS.

Flu vaccinations were up substantially this season which helps explain the low volume of flu cases in Michigan and across the country. Of course, the C OVID pandemic has also played a role.

More than 193.2 million doses of flu vaccine have been distributed in the United States, according to the CDC. This is the highest number of flu doses ever distributed in the country during a single influenza season. In Michigan the goal was to give 4.3 million flu shots with the tally currently at 3.3 million.