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Cases of influenza are getting an early start this year and appear to be affecting more people than in the previous three years during the same time period, according to local, state and federal data.
Although the percentage of cases is still low in Santa Clara County in relation to the regional baseline of 2.4%, influenza-like illness represented 0.98% of hospital emergency room visits so far since Oct. 2, more than double the rate during the same time last year, according to data from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. In the previous three flu seasons, the percentage of emergency room visits due to influenza-like illness in early October was 0.45% for flu season in 2021-22; 0.33% in 2020-21; and 0.49% in 2019-2020. It should be noted that those cases are not necessarily confirmed influenza cases, however.
Of 74 confirmed cases between Oct. 2 and the week ending Oct. 15, 39 were caused by the strain influenza A and 35 were from influenza B, according to the county’s data.
There are no reported intensive care cases nor deaths, according to the county’s influenza dashboard, which was last updated on Oct. 17. The case data was collected from ​​Stanford Health Care, Sutter Health/Palo Alto Medical Foundation, O’Connor Hospital, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and St. Louise Regional Hospital.
Wastewater surveillance monitoring in the Palo Alto sewershed is also showing a rise of influenza A, according to Stanford University’s Sewershed Coronavirus Alert Network, which also tracks the presence of influenza and other major communicable virus genetic material in wastewater.
Local health departments are advising people to get their shots this year — and to get them earlier.
“Every winter, people end up in the hospital sick with the flu, and for many, this is preventable,” Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said in a statement. “Getting the flu shot every year is the best way to avoid getting influenza, prevent more severe flu symptoms, and protect the people you love.”
“Flu vaccination is part of a comprehensive public health strategy not only to reduce the burden of flu but also to preserve health care resources for care of patients with COVID-19,” the San Mateo County health department said in a statement. “It takes a couple of weeks after vaccination for the body to build an immunity, so it’s best not to delay getting a shot.”
Both counties recommend the flu vaccine to people ages 6 months and up. The vaccine is strongly advised for older adults, pregnant women, children and people with underlying health conditions.
Although flu is present, statewide the virus’s activity is still low, with the Bay Area having “minimal” positive cases and southern California having the most, or a moderate number of cases, according to the most recent California Department of Public Health report. Two people have died in California; one was between the ages of 50 and 64 and the other was over 65 years old.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report on Oct. 14 noting that flu activity is happening earlier throughout most of the country, and it is highest in the southeast and south-central regions. Its FluView report shows the percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for flu nationally has reached 3.3%. In the southeast, that percentage has reached about 10%. In the south-central part of the country, 5% of specimens tested positive for flu. The southwest section of the country and Hawaii and Guam are both at 4%, the CDC noted.
The CDC recommended that people should be vaccinated ideally by the end of October, but they could still receive the shot as long as flu viruses might circulate.
“For people who live in a community where flu activity has already begun, there’s still time to be vaccinated. Most of the time flu activity peaks between December and February, although significant activity can last as late as May,” the CDC noted.
“While the timing and severity of the upcoming flu season cannot be predicted, the United States has experienced little flu for the past two seasons. Reduced population immunity, particularly among young children who may never have had flu exposure or been vaccinated, could bring about a robust return of flu,” the CDC said.
The agency is particularly concerned about drops in flu vaccine coverage in the past two years among higher-risk groups, including children and pregnant people. Influenza-like illness visits to hospitals at this time are highest among children ages 4 and younger, followed by people who are 5 to 24 years old, the CDC said. Flu activity often first increases in children and then spreads to older age groups.
The CDC has also reported three new pediatric deaths for the prior 2021-2022 flu season, bringing the season total to 43 pediatric deaths.
“This report further underscores the importance of vaccination among children. During most years, about 80% of pediatric flu deaths happen in children who have not been fully vaccinated,” the CDC said.
More than 105 million doses of flu vaccine have been distributed in the U.S., according to the CDC.
The public can find places for flu vaccines in Santa Clara County by visiting publichealth.sccgov.org or by visiting vaccines.gov and entering their ZIP code.
