Influenza Outbreak In US: 19 More Death Cases Recorded In Arkansas

USA is witnessing the worst influenza outbreak in the country. Arkansas state recently recoded a total of 64 death cases up until today.

USA has been grappling with the worst influenza outbreak. Recently, the number of deaths reported in the state of Arkansas spiked to 19 since last week and now the total number is 64. 64 people have died due to flu-related symptoms since the month of October. According to the reports by Xinhua agency, 75 per cent of the people were not vaccinated against the virus. Among the fatalities, there are 44 people who are above 65 years and also one child. As many as 19 nursing homes in Arkansas have reported flu outbreaks this season, according to a report from local media outlets.

Reports state that the number of cases and death cases from pneumonia and influenza have crossed the epidemic threshold which is something to be worried about. In its latest update, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that multiple respiratory viruses are currently co-circulating with influenza in the US.

13 Million Influenza Cases In US This Season

There have been at least 13 million cases of seasonal flu in US this season which is a record high than any other year. Along with this there have been 120,000 hospitalizations and 7,300 deaths. The CDC urged the public to get vaccinated for both influenza and Covid-19 ahead of large holiday gatherings and colder weather.

Cases Have Also Surged In Utah

According to the state data released last week, people who have been getting infected are mostly children and people over 65 years of age. The state of Utah too has been witnessing a surge in cases. There have been a total of 347 hospitalizations due to flu-related symptoms in patients till 3rd December.

The leader of CDC's domestic surveillance team for influenza stated that they have never seen such a huge spike in influenza cases in a decade. This uptick comes after flu cases decreased dramatically in the first years of the coronavirus pandemic. The entire country is dealing with this crisis at the moment.