Consult the Data, Not the Date, to Know When Flu Season is Over

Warmer weather means a lot of things in the United States—putting away the heavy coats, longer daylight hours, more time outside—but not necessarily the end of flu season, especially this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just issued a new warning that even though the H1N1 strain of influenza that has dominated the 2018–2019 season is on the wane, there’s been a recent uptick in cases of the stronger H3N2 strain. During the week ending March 9, in fact, the CDC reports that 61% of new influenza A cases were H3N2. And there continues to be widespread flu activity in 48 states and Puerto Rico. Most of the H3N2 cases are occurring in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, the Carolinas, and Tennessee. Given that this new trendline is just getting started, there are projections that flu season could stretch through April and even into May this year. H3N2 often leads to more serious illness and, consequently, comparatively more hospitalizations vs H1N1. This means continued vigilance is warranted in urgent care centers, where patients are likely to turn up when they get symptoms they may not associate with flu at this time of year. JUCM kicked off the flu season with a pair of articles on helping patients avoid the flu, but also on the best options for treating them if they are infected. An Urgent Care Approach to Influenza—Before Onset and Treating Patients Infected with Influenza Virus in the Urgent Care Setting are both available in our archive.