2016-2017 Influenza Season Week 19 ending May 13, 2017
May 19th, 2017Synopsis:
During week 19 (May 7-13, 2017), influenza activity decreased in the United States.
- Viral Surveillance: The most frequently identified influenza virus type reported by public health laboratories during week 19 was influenza B. The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for influenza in clinical laboratories decreased.
- Pneumonia and Influenza Mortality: The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) was below the system-specific epidemic threshold in the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Mortality Surveillance System.
- Influenza-associated Pediatric Deaths: One influenza-associated pediatric death was reported.
- Influenza-associated Hospitalizations: A cumulative rate for the season of 64.7 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations per 100,000 population was reported.
- Outpatient Illness Surveillance: The proportion of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) was 1.3%, which is below the national baseline of 2.2%. All ten regions reported ILI below their region-specific baseline levels. One state experienced low ILI activity; New York City, Puerto Rico, and 47 states experienced minimal ILI activity; and the District of Columbia and two states had insufficient data.
- Geographic Spread of Influenza: The geographic spread of influenza in Guam and five states was reported as regional activity; Puerto Rico and eight states reported local activity; the District of Columbia and 36 states reported sporadic activity; and the U.S. Virgin Islands and one state reported no activity.
