The CDC is monitoring a rise in flu activity despite a federal freeze on public health data. While weekly reports detailing flu trends have been paused, the CDC is using alternative data sources like wastewater samples to track influenza A levels. This limited data reveals a 25% increase in positive flu tests and 'very high' emergency room visits related to the flu, but lacks the detailed state-by-state and strain-specific information usually provided.
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That said, this data is different and much less specific from the weekly reports the CDC usually provides about the flu.Typically, the CDC releases a weekly FluView report that offers a detailed look at seasonal influenza activity, including the types of the virus found, hospitalization stats, mortality rate, and cases by state. The last time the CDC provided the FluView was for the
"One piece of data in a huge data stream is probably not the end of the world,” Glatt added. “However, I am concerned if this continues. We do need to know, are we going up? Or are we going down?"For now, both experts and the public will have to rely on a mix of new and older data to see where the flu is spreading most rapidly.In total, this is 35 states with "very high" or "high" levels of influenza A found in new wastewater samples.
What's more, this data doesn't "distinguish between influenza A subtypes virus, seasonal influenza A virus and avian influenza A virus."
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