US West Coast impacted Influenza B Virus

Northern, WI 1/26/2013 (avauncer) – According to a report released by The National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the patients of influenza B virus accounted for almost 9.8% of the total death toll across the country for the week ended January 9t^h, 2013. The average level of deaths attributable to an epidemic (including influenza and pneumonia) comes at 7.3% of the deaths nationwide, in any given year.

Flu and flu-like illnesses have been on the rise in some parts of the country while in others the virus shows a declining trend, the report said. Twenty six of the US states show a high level of the influenza cases; fourteen states were inflicted by a moderate level of flu virus activity while nine states showed no or minimal activity of influenza and ancillary illnesses. The west coastal strip is the most badly hit areas among all where the epidemic has caused.

The seasonal flu virus erupted prematurely this year as compared to the last year. As the disease spread across different parts of the country, its seen that it has crossed the epidemic benchmark three weeks earlier. The resulting death toll could go as high as 30,000. According to the CDC estimate, people above the age of 65 are likely to be most affected this year.

Until last week the casualties among children attributable to the flu outbreak reached up to 29, eight children lost their lives last week making the death toll in children affected by influenza go up to 37. Out of these 6 pediatric deaths were reported to have been caused by strains of influenza-B virus. The Flu VAX vaccine for influenza-B prevents 2/3 of the total active strains of the virus that cause human flu.

This year’s outbreak is believed to be the worst in the past ten years.