As the Trump administration rolled back influenza vaccination recommendations for children on Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data showing that this season’s flu has surpassed a grim record.
Doctor visits for flulike illnesses in the U.S. have reached their highest level in the nearly 30 years that the CDC has tracked the statistic, according to the country’s top public health body.
More than 8 percent of all visits to a health care provider in the week ending on December 27 were for respiratory illness—the highest rate since the CDC started keeping tabs on such visits in 1997. So far this season, influenza viruses have led to more than 120,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths, including nine children.
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Amanda Montañez; Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (data)
At the local level, some 45 states saw high or very high “influenzalike” activity. The new numbers don’t cover the full post-holiday-travel period, so the rates of doctor visits and hospitalizations could yet rise. A new variant of the influenza A strain H3N2 that is known as subclade K may be driving up infections: the variant has been shown to carry mutations that may make this year’s flu vaccine less effective. But the shots still provide some protection, especially against severe disease and death, experts say.
The data release follows Monday’s announcement of new CDC vaccination recommendations for children. These guidelines now recommend that parents talk to their health care provider about their children receiving the flu vaccine—a departure from the agency’s long-standing recommendation that everyone receive an annual flu shot as routine. Experts say the move will affect vaccination rates and endanger children’s health.