NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Cases of influenza in the US peaked in early February and are now on the decline, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
CDC experts note that the predominant flu strains reported this season were variants of the A/Sydney strain included in the 1997-1998 flu vaccine. Investigations of flu outbreaks in nursing homes and at a military base suggest that "the protection provided by the current vaccine against illness caused by (the variant strains) may have been low," according to the report.
Data gathered by the CDC, World Health Organization (WHO), and local and state health departments tabulated influenza activity from September 28, 1997 through March 7, 1998. "Influenza activity in the United States began during October, increased sharply during December and January, peaked during late January/early February, then declined," write the study authors.
The authors suggest that "the timely implementation of outbreak control measures within institutions, including vaccination of residents, reduced contact between ill and non-ill persons, and antiviral prophylaxis of all non-ill persons and antiviral treatment of ill persons when the outbreak is caused by influenza type A may reduce morbidity and mortality."
SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (1998;47:196-200)
