Wisconsin is experiencing increasing influenza activity, with 90 percent of detections being influenza A, according to the weekly influenza report provided to WHA by Jonathan Temte, MD, PhD. Temte, a professor of family medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, serves on the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Throughout the influenza season, he shares his weekly updates with WHA, which are posted at: www.wha.org/weekly-influenza-update.aspx
. There have been 356 influenza-related hospitalizations since September 1, 2016, with 48 admitted to ICU and 9 requiring mechanical ventilation. This compares to 89 hospitalizations last year at this time, and 3,437 for the 2014-2015 season. Sixty-six percent of hospitalizations have been in individuals age 65 and older.
The estimated prevalence of influenza-like illness [fever of 100 degrees F or higher with either cough or sore throat] in Wisconsin’s primary care patients is at 3.1 percent and increasing.
The most commonly identified viral causes of Acute Respiratory infections (ARI) in Wisconsin are Coronavirus, RSV and Influenza A. Over the past four weeks the typical ARI case presenting for primary care has been 40.6 years old and 61 percent of patients have been female. Half of the patients identified a sick contact 1-to-3 days before illness onset and typically present to the clinic 4.7 days after illness onset. Twenty-four percent of illnesses are characterized as mild, with 69 percent having moderate symptoms and 8 percent having severe symptoms.
In his report, Temte noted there is a good match between this year’s vaccine and circulating viruses.