Emergency departments see rise in Influenza-like Illnesses (ILI)
Influenza Monitor, 25 Feb 2010
Recent article in CIDRAP reports that emergency room clinicians are noting an increase in influenza-like illnesses (ILI). Key excerpts are provided below.
Emergency departments see rise in flu-like illness
Feb 24, 2010 (CIDRAP News), Lisa Schnirring Staff Writer
Some of the nation’s emergency departments are noting increases in flu-like illness cases that appear to be pandemic H1N1, and colleges are reporting the first increase in flu-like illness since the end of November, but it’s not clear if these are early signs of a third pandemic flu wave.
* The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) said today in a Twitter post that some of its members were anecdotally reporting a new wave of pandemic H1N1 patients coming to emergency departments and asked if other physicians were seeing similar patterns.
* Meanwhile, the American College Health Association (ACHA) today reported in its latest surveillance summary of influenza-like illnesses a 52% rise in cases, reflecting the first increase since the end of November. For the week ending Feb 19, the attack rate at schools was 4.1 cases per 10,000 students. The ACHA said some colleges in the southeast and Midwest have reported slight increases in disease activity.
* A spokesman for the Washington State Department of Health said today that pandemic H1N1 cases have slowed but not disappeared, the Associated Press (AP) reported today. Five more people were hospitalized for H1N1 infections over the past week, but no new deaths have been reported.
Read the full article.
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