CDC: 19 more child deaths from Swine Flu in one week in U.S.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says children under 4 have the highest hospitalization rate from Swine Flu. It also reports 22 pediatric deaths in one week, 19 confirmed to be from Swine Flu. Widespread flu in 48 states

ATLANTA - Children aged 0 to 4 years have the highest hospitalization rates from Swine Flu and 22 more pediatric deaths have been reported from Oct. 18 to Oct. 24, the Centers for Disease Control announced Friday. CDC reports that visits to doctors have climbed steeply in the latest weekly reports and the total of pediatric deaths from April to now stand at 114 due to Swine Flu while another 12 child deaths were confirmed to be from flu but could not be sub-typed. More than 25,980 people have been hospitalized since Aug. 30 to Oct. 24 for pneumonia and flu. The CDC reports 2,916 deaths have occurred from pneumonia and flu in that period. The agency did not break down figures for deaths lab confirmed to be from H1N1. Of the 22 new child deaths 19 were confirmed to be caused by H1N1 through lab tests with three other cases not sub-typed but thought to be due to the new virus. “Visits to doctors for influenza-like illness (ILI) increased steeply since last week in the United States, and overall, are much higher than what is expected for this time of the year. ILI activity now is higher than what is seen during the peak of many regular flu seasons,” said the latest briefing. •Total influenza hospitalizations for laboratory-confirmed flu are climbing and are higher than expected for this time of year. Hospitalization rates continue to be highest is younger populations with the highest hospitalization rate reported in children 0-4 years old. •The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) based on the 122 Cities Report has increased and has been higher than what is expected at this time of year for four weeks now. In addition, 22 flu-related pediatric deaths were reported this week; 19 of these deaths were confirmed 2009 H1N1, and three were influenza A viruses, but were not sub-typed. Since April 2009, CDC has received reports of 114 laboratory-confirmed pediatric 2009 H1N1 deaths and another 12 pediatric deaths that were laboratory confirmed as influenza, but where the flu virus subtype was not determined. •Forty-eight states are reporting widespread influenza activity at this time. They are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. This many reports of widespread activity are unprecedented during seasonal flu. •Almost all of the influenza viruses identified so far are 2009 H1N1 influenza A viruses. These viruses remain similar to the virus chosen for the 2009 H1N1 vaccine, and remain susceptible to the antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir with rare exception.