H3N2 Strain Of Flu Linked To More Hospitalizations, Deaths. Dr. Jen Ashton reported on ABC World News (12/29, story 10, 1:20, Robach) that “this year’s holiday season has...marked the official uptick in influenza-like cases nationwide to epidemic levels.” Dr. Ashton continued, “While there have been sporadic reports of shortages of anti-viral medications like Tamiflu [oseltamivir], the drugmakers claim there is more than an adequate national supply at this time.” ABC News (12/30, Neporent) further reports on its website that nearly 90 percent “of flu cases so far this year have been the H3N2 subtype,” which “tends to lead to the largest number of hospitalizations and deaths, particularly for children, the elderly and anyone with a compromised immune system,” according to Dr. Pritish Tosh, an infectious diseases physician with the Mayo Clinic. He added, “To complicate matters, this year’s strain is not well-matched to what was predicted by the surveillance community, so the current vaccine is not a great match.” Also reporting on the flu epidemic nationwide are the Baltimore Sun (12/29), the Quad-City (IA) Times (12/30, Baker), the Des Moines (IA) Register (12/29), the Zanesville (OH) Times Recorder (12/29, Rumer), and the Tulsa (OK) World (12/30, Muchmore).
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 14:35:04 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015