DATA AND SURVEILLANCE

The above surveillance data is current as of January 4, 2020.

From the Respiratory Disease Epidemiologist - January 11, 2020:

West Virginia has declared influenza activity over MMWR Week 1(December 29th - January 4th) to be WIDESPREAD for the FluView national influenza surveillance report. The percentages of healthcare visits for influenza-like illness decreased slightly but remained elevated in all state surveillance regions. Laboratory detections of influenza also decreased slightly, with Influenza B detections remaining predominant. As noted in the national surveillance report, the data for MMWR Week 1 may be influenced in part by changes in healthcare seeking behaviors over the holiday season.

The CDC recently issued a health advisory regarding elevated flu activity. It is recommended that all people six months and older who have not received an influenza vaccine this season should be vaccinated against influenza. Locations that have influenza vaccinations available can be found at vaccinefinder.org. The CDC also recommends antiviral medications for the treatment of influenza.

Healthcare providers are encouraged to collect respiratory specimens and submit them to the Office of Laboratory Services (OLS) for confirmatory influenza and respiratory panel testing. For more information on how to submit respiratory specimens, please visit OLS's influenza webpage: https://dhhr.wv.gov/ols/labs/Pages/Influenza.aspx

Printable Surveillance Graphs