By Jennifer Aldrich
It seems as if this year's long, widespread flu season should be coming to an end, but parents - especially those with younger children - should stay diligent when it comes to spotting influenza symptoms. There could be a second wave of the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In the CDC's most recent weekly report, the organization says that though the overall percentage of influenza activity is decreasing, the proportion of influenza B viruses is increasing, and there were more reports of the influenza B than influenza A during week 11 of this year. For the majority of the flu season, which began in October 2017, most cases reported were influenza A, but in the past week, 59 percent of all confirmed cases were influenza B.
What does all that mean? Parents should be aware that even if their kids were diagnosed with influenza A, they could still get sick with the influenza B virus. "We know that illness associated with influenza B can be just as severe as illness associated with influenza A," CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund told CNN. "We also know that influenza B tends to be more severe for younger children."
The possibility of another round of the flu isn't good news, but it's also not that surprising. "We often see a wave of influenza B during seasons when influenza A H3N2 was the predominant virus earlier in the season," Nordlund told the network. "Unfortunately, we don't know what the influenza B wave will look like."
The CDC reports that there have been 133 pediatric deaths as a result of this year's flu season, with five deaths reported in the past week alone. Young children-as well as older adults and pregnant women-are at a higher risk for contracting the flu. According to the CDC's website, annual vaccinations are the best way to prevent the flu and the "potentially severe complications" the virus causes in children.
(h/t CNN)
