Health officials are seeing an increase in the percentage of positive tests for influenza B, while the percentage of positive tests for influenza A has declined. This trend is being observed in multiple states. Hospital admissions for flu have been declining since the beginning of the year. However, health experts advise Americans to stay vigilant as influenza B could cause capacity concerns in hospitals. There are four types of influenza, but A and B are the most common and cause seasonal epidemics in people. Flu activity across the US remains in the “low” category.
In line with recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there has been an uptick in the number of positive tests for influenza B. While fears of a “tripledemic” have died down, health officials are still warning the public to remain vigilant as flu season continues.
The percentage of tests that are positive for influenza B has increased from 0.12% the week ending Jan. 7 to 0.36% the week ending March 25. Meanwhile, the percentage of tests positive for influenza A, the most common flu strain, has declined from 8.58% to 0.58% over the same period.
States are showing similar trends. In New York, as of the week ending March 25, of the 2,013 samples subtyped, 64.16% were identified as influenza B, In line with state health department data.
Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, told ABC News that it’s not surprising to see an uptick of influenza B towards the end of the flu season. However, due to few to no cases of influenza reported during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, people may have forgotten how the flu normally behaves.
“We have to remember that, In the short term, we’re returning to a somewhat normal respiratory virus season,” said Brownstein, an ABC News contributor. “Influenza B is often later in the season…It’s not a surprise at all that we’re seeing flu B and, as part of our return to normal, we have to remember that flu still has an impact on population health.”
Since the beginning of the year, hospital admissions for flu have been declining, from 12,883 the week ending Jan. 7 to 1,222 the week ending March 25. Brownstein said the decline of other viruses has helped prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed but advised Americans to stay vigilant.
“Right now, the hospitals are benefiting from a little bit of a break,” he said. “We do have more breathing room in our hospitals than we have in the past, and that’s thankful because that means that we can perform elective procedures, that means that our frontline health care workers are getting a little bit of a breather.”
However, Brownstein added, “We still have COVID circulating, there’s still other viruses that are still creating capacity challenges. A bad flu B peak could bring us right back to some of those capacity concerns.”
There are four types of influenza – A, B, C, and D – however, A and B are the most common and cause seasonal epidemics in people, what we refer to as “flu season.” Flu activity across the U.S. remains in the “low” category, but health officials are urging the public to continue taking precautions, such as getting vaccinated and practicing good hygiene, to prevent further spread of the virus.
Basically, the recent uptick in influenza B cases serves as a reminder that flu season is not over yet. While hospitals are currently benefiting from a decline in other viruses, health officials are warning that a bad flu B peak could bring us right back to capacity concerns. Americans are advised to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to prevent further spread of the virus.
