WPBN: Recent health statistics indicate that the state of Tennessee is currently seeing one of the highest percentages of influenza-like illness activity as compared to other states in the United States.
“Very high” flu and flu-like activity is now being seen in the state of Tennessee, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States of America.
This represents the highest activity level. Both lab-tested instances of influenza and symptoms that resembled the flu continued to grow, according to the study.
There have been no deaths reported in children in the state of Tennessee as of yet. All deaths that occur in children are recorded and reported by the state.
The most recent flu report from the Tennessee Department of Health, which covers the week that ended on December 28th, indicates that East Tennessee is now experiencing the greatest levels of flu-like activity.
According to the research, the percentage of overall outpatient visits for illnesses similar to the flu was either high or very high across the region. As compared to the rest of the region, the level of influenza activity in Knox County was quite low.
According to the TDH, a patient is considered to have a flu-like sickness if they have a fever in addition to a cough or a sore throat. This type of illness is monitored through visits to the hospital and clinic. However, this indicator is increasing in tandem with the number of lab-confirmed flu cases, according to the state.
This metric is not confined to lab-confirmed flu cases. Therefore, the increase in illnesses that are comparable to the flu may be caused by the flu spreading alongside other infections that have symptoms that are similar to those of the flu, such as COVID and RSV.
The laboratories in Tennessee received a total of 161 specimens to test, and they reported that 17% of those specimens tested positive for influenza. The strains of influenza A that were shown to be the most prevalent in the testing were variants of the virus, such as H1N1, H3, and the unsubtyped variants.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that seasonal flu activity is continuing to rise across the United States, and it predicts that at least 5.3 million people have become ill during this season.
Due to the fact that two kid deaths were recorded in other parts of the United States this week, the total number of pediatric deaths that have occurred during this flu season has reached 11.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projected that at least 2,700 people have passed away as a result of the influenza season.
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It was also confirmed by health experts that a person in Louisiana who had been in contact with sick or dead birds had died from the bird flu. This is the first known fatality that has ever occurred in the United States as a result of the infection caused by the bird flu.
Since March, there have been 66 cases of bird flu recorded in the United States. However, the bulk of these cases have been mild and have been reported among farmworkers who had poultry or dairy cows who were sick.
