Flu surpasses Covid as US’ deadliest respiratory illness

New York: For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began, influenza has surpassed Covid as the deadliest respiratory illness in California in the US, prompting hospitals to struggle with overwhelming patient numbers amid a surge in flu cases.

This spike in flu cases comes amidst historically low vaccination rates, with only 44 per cent of adults and 46 per cent of children receiving flu shots this season, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Xinhua news agency reported.

“Our hospital is full to the brim,” Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, told local news outlet San Francisco Chronicle.

“Influenza seems to be everywhere,” he added. At local clinics in the Bay Area, more than 70 per cent of respiratory virus tests are now positive for influenza, surpassing cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Covid-19, and the common cold.

As of February 1, flu test positivity rates hit 27.8 per cent, while RSV cases dropped to 5 per cent and Covid remained at 2.4 per cent, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Since July 1, California has reported at least 561 flu-related deaths, the majority of which are among individuals aged over 65. In addition, there have been 10 paediatric flu deaths this season, compared to just three paediatric deaths linked to Covid in the same period.

Nationwide, the CDC estimates that there were at least 29 million flu cases, 370,000 hospitalisations, and 16,000 deaths during the 2024-25 flu season as of February 8. Medical professionals are particularly concerned about the simultaneous circulation of two influenza A strains — H1N1 and H3N2 — in roughly equal amounts, an unusual pattern that increases the risk of sequential infections.

The surge in severe flu cases has led to complications that are rarely seen in such numbers, including acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), a severe brain condition, particularly among children. ANE has a fatality rate of around 50 per cent.

California’s healthcare workers describe scenes reminiscent of the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Critical care nurses report that ICUs are filled with flu patients suffering from pneumonia and respiratory failure.

John Lynch, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Washington Medicine, told CNN that there is a concerning trend of MRSA pneumonia following flu infections, which can cause permanent lung damage.

MRSA is a strain of bacteria resistant to many antibiotics. Public health officials stress that it’s not too late to get vaccinated, although it takes about two weeks for the vaccine to provide full protection.

While the vaccine may not prevent all infections, it significantly lowers the risk of severe illness and hospitalisation.

Experts predict high flu activity for at least another month to six weeks, with the possibility of an additional wave of influenza B cases in the spring, highlighting the ongoing need for preventive measures and vaccination.

IANS