In its first FluView Report for the 2012-2013 flu season, which began on September 30—week 40 of the year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a media advisory stating that currently, the incidence of flu in the United States is low.
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Download NowAccording to the CDC, the FluView is based on five categories of surveillance:
- Viral surveillance: U.S. World Health Organization (WHO) collaborating laboratories, the National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS), and human infection with novel influenza A virus case reporting;
- Mortality: 122 Cities Mortality Reporting System and influenza-associated pediatric mortality;
- Hospitalizations: Influenza Hospitalization Network (FluSurv-NET) including the Emerging Infections Program (EIP),
- Outpatient illness surveillance: U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet); and
- Summary of geographic spread of influenza: state and territorial epidemiologists’ reports.
Under these criteria, the CDC reports that the incidence of outpatient visits for flu-like illness was 1.2 percent, which is below the baseline of 2.2 percent, and the proportion of deaths associated with pneumonia was below the epidemic threshold.
Only one state, Wyoming, reported a local spread of disease, and the District of Columbia and 29 states reported sporadic activity. Other states and territories reported no activity or did not report.