The 2009 influenza A(H1N1) virus has not disappeared, and Georgia has seen a surge in hospitalizations among adults due to H1N1 flu over the past several weeks, a federal official reported during a teleconference.
Most new hospitalizations related to the H1N1 flu in Georgia have occurred in adults with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and asthma, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
“We are continuing to see people with serious illness from the pandemic H1N1 virus,” Dr. Schuchat said. Disease rates in most parts of the United States are, on average, lower than they were last fall, but individuals continue to get sick, become hospitalized, and die, she emphasized.
No states are currently reporting widespread activity, but three states—Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina—are reporting regional flu activity, and the rate of laboratory-confirmed hospitalizations for H1N1 illness in Georgia has returned to levels similar to those seen last fall.
Early in March, Georgia public health officials requested the CDC's help in investigating the cause of the surge in hospitalizations, and this investigation is ongoing.
“The findings we have so far suggest the value of vaccination, particularly among adults with chronic illness or advanced age, who are more likely to become severely ill if they encounter the H1N1 virus,” Dr. Schuchat said. “We don't have any evidence that the H1N1 virus has changed.”
“The CDC strongly urges people with underlying health conditions and those over 64 years to get vaccinated. We have an excellent safety record now for the H1N1 vaccine,” she added.
U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin emphasized the continuing need to educate the public about the value of H1N1 vaccination, especially minority groups, who are more likely to have the chronic medical conditions that put people at increased risk. “The flu season is not over yet,” Dr. Benjamin said. “Vaccination is the best protection.”
Dr. Schuchat confirmed that the H1N1 virus will be part of a trivalent influenza vaccine that will be available this fall. The CDC recommends vaccination with the current H1N1 vaccine now for protection in the months ahead until the trivalent vaccine becomes available, Dr. Schuchat said.