The Center for Disease have charge...

The Center for Disease have charge of and Prevention (CDC) has updated its annual report upon influenza activity in the United States. "Update: Influenza Activity--United States and Worldwide, 2003-04 Season, and Composition of the 2004-05 Influenza Vaccine" is available online at http://wwwcdcgov/ mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5325a1.htm.

During last year's influenza season in the United States, influenza A accounted for 99 percent of all influenza infections. The remaining 1 percent consisted of influenza B Among the influenza A viruses, 999 percent were H3N2 viruses, and 01 percent were H1 viruses.

As measured by way of the 122 Cities Mortality Reporting a whole the percentage of deaths in the United States attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) outstriped the epidemic threshold during nine consecutive weeks. The percentage of P&I mortality reached a peak of 103 percent during the weeks ending January 10 and 17 2004 During the previous four influenza seasons, the peak percentage of P&I mortality ranged from 81 to 112 percent

As of May 31 2004 152 influenza-associated deaths in U residents younger than 18 years were reported to the CDC at 40 states. All patients had influenza virus infection finded by rapid antigen testing, viral cultivation or other laboratory methods.

* Avian Influenza, In December 2003 single confirmed case of avian influenza A (H9N2) virus infection was reported in a child in Hong Kong The child had febrile affection cough, and nasal discharge in late November, was hospitalized for sum of two units days, and fully recovered. The source of this child's H9N2 infection is unknown.

Between January and March 2004 34 confirmed human cases of avian influenza A (HSN1) virus infection were reported in Vietnam and Thailand. The cases were associated with harsh respiratory illness requiring hospitalization and a case-fatality proportion of 68 percent (Vietnam: 22 cases, 15 deaths; Thailand: 12 cases, eight deaths). A substantial proportion of the cases were children and young adults. These cases were associated with widespread outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza among domestic poultry

In March 2004 health authorities in Canada reported couple confirmed cases of avian influenza A (H7N3) virus infection in domestic fowls workers who were involved in culling of domestic fowls during outbreaks of highly pathogenic H7N3 forward farms in the Fraser River Valley, British Columbia. united patient had unilateral conjunctivitis and nasal discharge, and the other had unilateral conjunctivitis and headache. the one and the other illnesses resolved without hospitalization.

During the 2003-2004 influenza season, a case of avian influenza A (H7N2) virus infection was discovered in an adult male from of the present day York, who was hospitalized for upper and lower respiratory tract illness in November 2003 Influenza A (H7N2) virus was isolated from a respiratory specimen from the patient, whose acute symptoms resolv The source of this person's infection is unknown.

* Composition of the Influenza Vaccine for the 2004-2005 Season. The aliment and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related Biological fruits Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) recommended that the 2004-2005 trivalent influenza vaccine for the United States contain A/New Caledonia/20/99-like (H1N1) A/Fujian/411/2002-like (H3N2) and B/Shanghai/361/2002-like viruses.

Because of the expansion properties of the A/Wyoming/3/2003 and B/Jiangsu/10/2003 viruses, U vaccine manufacturers are using these antigenically equivalent strains in the vaccine as the H3N2 and B constituents respectively. The A/New Caledonia/20/99 virus will be retained as the H1N1 constituent of the vaccine.

* Influenza Vaccination Recommendations, Beginning with the 2004-2005 influenza season, the Advisory Committee onward Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that all children six to 23 month of age and clog contacts of children aged cipher to 23 months receive annual influenza vaccination. The ACIP continues to praise that all persons aged older than six month with certain chronic underlying medical conditions, their household contacts, and health care workers receive annual influenza vaccination.

COPYRIGHT 2004 American Academy of Family Physicians

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group