(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Montana will have a flu Christmas – Daily Montanan [1] ['Darrell Ehrlick', 'More From Author', '- December'] Date: 2022-12-24 The temperatures aren’t the only thing on the rise in Montana — so are the cases of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Coupled with the now constant burden of COVID-19, the Treasure State is fighting what public health experts call a “tripledemic” — three viruses that are jamming hospitals and taxing the immune systems of residents. Influenza in Montana has already started at a dramatic clip, approaching high numbers of confirmed cases that aren’t usually seen until the height of flu season, typically in February. Instead, influenza continued to increase statewide from Dec. 11 to 17 with 1,815 new cases, 64 hospitalizations and one death. That brings the total number of cases in the state reported this flu season to 6,287. Cases reported in a single week nearly surpassed the 10-year high mark of 1,822 set in late February 2019. The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services reported on Friday afternoon that to date, Montana has seen 268 hospitalizations and seven deaths. Typically, flu season begins in late October and tracks through May. The even-worse news is that not only are cases skyrocketing, but likely significantly undercounting the severity of flu. The Montana Influenza Summary reports that only influenza established through a test is counted in the official numbers. But, the number of influenza-like illness which are reported from doctors without a test continued to increase, and RSV positivity rates increased 21 percent. “Case counts should be considered the ‘tip of the iceberg,’ in terms of true levels of influenza burden in the community,” the weekly state flu report said. RSV can cause symptoms in any human, but is particularly pronounced in young children, especially those less than a year. It often causes mild flu-like symptoms for adults. However, RSV can also cause a number of respiratory issues, including bronchiolitis and pneumonia. In older adults, it can also be deadly. Counties with the most reported cases of influenza (2022) Gallatin 1,455 Yellowstone 1,024 Cascade 562 Flathead 559 Missoula 531 Source: Montana DPHHS, through Dec. 17, 2022 Flu season during the past decade in Montana has been average, even bordering on mild. For example, the 2020-2021 season, which was during the COVID pandemic, had no confirmed influenza cases during that season. And last year’s flu season “started late and was considered mild.” “In contrast, the current 2022-2023 season started early and cases have increased rapidly since that early start,” the report said. The report has also characterized the current influenza activity as “widespread” — the highest level of concern in the ranking system, which has been adopted nationwide. Widespread means that laboratory-confirmed tests and influenza-like symptoms are present in at least half the regions of the state. “(During) the past could of weeks, influenza-associated hospitalizations have climbed to well above the seasonal average for this time of year,” the report said. “Adults over the age of 65 years are at higher risk for hospitalization, and currently make up the largest portion of hospitalized Montanans.” DPHHS reports that during the previous five influenza seasons in Montana, seasonal peaks ranged from 17 to 104. Sixty-four hospitalizations due to influenza were reported statewide from Dec. 11-17. And, all seven influenza deaths were adults older than 65. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2022/12/24/montana-will-have-a-flu-christmas/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/