Practice Management
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that 13% of U.S. children who died from the flu this season had influenza-associated encephalopathy or encephalitis (IAE). Among them, 4 had acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), the most severe form, which can cause brain dysfunction and inflammation. As of February 8, CDC confirmed 68 pediatric flu deaths, including 9 with IAE. More than half of the children with fatal IAE had no underlying …
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Flu activity surged in the United States during the final week of January with healthcare visits for respiratory virus symptoms reaching a notably high level, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Flu test positivity rose to 31.6%, and outpatient visits for flu-like illness climbed to 7.8%, staying above the national baseline for the 10th consecutive week. Flu activity remains high or very high across most of the country. The CDC estimates …
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The percentage of emergency department (ED) visits that included influenza testing increased from 2.5% in 2013 to 10.9% in 2022, according to a new data brief from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ED visits for children ages 0–5 years had the highest percentage of tests ordered both in 2013 data (8.6%) and 2022 data (23.1%). Among ED visits by adults, the percentage with an influenza test increased from 1.9% to 9.1% for patients …
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that respiratory virus activity remains low nationally, while also confirming the first pediatric flu death of the 2024-2025 season, recorded in the middle of October. Overall, 201 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations were reported between October 1 and November 2, 2024. Weekly trend lines show an increase of 2.4% in terms of outpatient visits to healthcare providers for respiratory illnesses for the week ending November 2. Separately, the …
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At least two human cases of “dual mutant” strains of H1N1 influenza have been detected in Connecticut and Michigan, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Genetic changes are concerning because they could reduce the effectiveness of current antiviral treatments. Mutations of H1N1 appear to have 13-fold greater resistance to the flu treatment oseltamivir—the most commonly prescribed treatment for flu. An analysis of the new H1N1 flu viruses with …
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Outpatient visits for flu like illness are on a steady decline in the United States, indicating reduced activity of respiratory viruses including flu, COVID, and respiratory syncytial virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports the first week of April showed that visits for respiratory illness with fever plus a cough or sore throat fell to 2.8%, just below the national baseline of 2.9%. Positive labs for flu were down 7.7% since the …
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Omicron versus Flu & RSV – Which is Most Dangerous for Children? Take Home Point: In this study, hospitalization rates were highest for patients with RSV than Omicron (COVID-19) in all age groups of children. Citation: Hedberg P, Abdel-Halem L, Valik J, et. al. Outcomes of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Infection vs Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections. JAMA Pediatr. 2023 Dec 26: e235734. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.5734 Relevance: With increasing availability for respiratory pathogen testing, it is …
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The risk of atherothrombotic events in patients aged 50 and older care more than double in the 14 days following an influenza diagnosis, according to research presented in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. For those with severe cases, the risk of acute myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke increased more than 4-fold and remained high for 2 months following the flu event. Authors examined the link between influenza illness diagnosed in the primary care and hospital settings …
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It’s no surprise that the prevalence of respiratory illnesses continued its upward slant in the waning days of 2023. Respiratory illness indicators surged across two-thirds of the nation, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), particularly impacting the Midwest and Northeast, where COVID cases were prevalent. COVID hospitalizations rose by 16.7%, causing 29,000 admissions, contributing to a 10% increase in deaths. The Midwest and Northeast reported moderate to …
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What Should We Do with the Nail? Nailbed Repair in Children Take Home Point: After nail bed repair, discarding the fingernail was associated with similar rates of infection and similar cosmetic outcomes compared to replacement of the fingernail. Citation: Jain A, Grieg A, Jones A, et al. Effectiveness of nail bed repair in children with or without replacing the fingernail: NINJA multicentre randomized clinical trial. BJS, 2023, 110, 432–438 https://doi.org/10.1093/bjs/znad031 Relevance: Procedures for nail bed …
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