Spring Flu Hits Connecticut and Northeast Harder than Rest of USA

Not only does winter refuse to quit in Connecticut, the flu season is also slow to recede, with a second wave hitting the region this month.  According to data monitored by the state Department of Public Health, Connecticut is one of only a handful of states where flu cases have remained widespread well into April.

Overall, more than 5,000 cases of various strains of flu have been reported in Connecticut since the start of flu season last fall, with the largest number coming in New Haven County, followed by Hartford and Fairfield Counties.

The latest “Flu View” map from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate while flu season appears to have ended across most of the nation, Connecticut is one of less than a half-dozen states that continue to have “widespread” influenza activity.

Connecticut is joined by regional neighbors New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Delaware in the recent spike in flu cases.  New York has recently been reporting its highest volumes of the entire flu season.  The states of Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Oklahoma have the next highest level of flu cases, according to the CDC data.

The most recent data, for the week ending April 5, indicates that statewide emergency department visits attributed to the “fever/flu syndrome” have recently increased in Connecticut and continue at a level near or above 5 percent statewide during the last 16 weeks.  The CDC reports that the region including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire Vermont and Rhode Island is one of only two in the nation with “elevated” out-patient flu levels as of early April; the other region with elevated levels includes New York and New Jersey.  The rest of the nation is characterized as being at “normal” levels of flu incidence.

A total of 5,162 positive influenza reports have been reported for the current season, which is due to conclude, for data collection purposes, next month.  The initial peak in January brought record emergency volumes to some facilities, including Hartford Hospital.  This year’s second wave, is occurring later than a year ago, into April.  Last year's second wave occurred in March.

Influenza has been reported in all eight Connecticut counties since the start of flu season: New Haven (1,559 reports), Hartford (1,384), Fairfield (1,221), Windham (242), New London (220), Tolland (186), Middlesex (179), and Litchfield (171).

This month, Connecticut influenza activity continues to be classified geographically as “widespread” according to the state Department of Health, and many regions in the state are experiencing a second wave of flu activity, led by the influenza B strain, often referred to as “spring flu.”

In Connecticut, the Department of Public Health (DPH) uses multiple systems to monitor circulating influenza viruses. During the influenza season, weekly flu updates are posted from October of the current year, through May of the following year.

Last winter’s flu season brought 57 flu-related deaths to Connecticut, all were among patients at least 55 years of age including 48 (84%) who were greater than 65 years old. The year-long stats, reflecting August 2012 – August 2013, reflected flu instances from residents of all eight Connecticut counties and included: 4,177 from Fairfield County, 2,789 from New Haven County, 1,915 from Hartford County, 672 in Windham, 638 New London, 613 Middlesex, 388 Litchfield, and 319 from Tolland County.  Last year’s total was 11,511 confirmed flu cases, with the number of cases peaking twice, in the week ending Jan. 12, predominantly Type A flu, and the week ending March 23, predominantly Type B.

All data for the current flu season are considered preliminary and are updated with available information each week starting in October and ending in May; a final report will be available from DPH before the start of the next season.