More Children Claimed as Flu Continues into Late Season

Flu continues to infect children with its surge into second week of March. It has reportedly spread to 40 states and eight more children have been stated as infected by the virus, said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its latest flu update.

A total of eight deaths have been reported in children due to flu, four times higher than the previous week and increasing the total to 28 deaths. While the season is still far from over, the death toll is below the cumulative death tolls of the last three seasons that went over 100.

According to CDC, a surge in influenza-like illness (ILI) has been reported. The number of clinic visits attributed to ILI were up from previous week's 3.5% to 3.7%. In any case, it was way above the national baseline of 2.1%.

While the influenza and influenza like diseases are taking its toll, number of deaths attributed to pneumonia have witnessed a slight decline, according to 122 Cities Mortality Reporting System by CDC.

CDC urges people to not take flu shots for granted. It is not too late for people of any age to get their seasonal flu shots. After the vaccine is injected it takes up to two weeks for it to reach complete effectiveness.

The vaccine can also be taken as a shot, just under the skin, by people between ages 18 and 64. This is apart from the intramuscular shot that is made of dead viruses, usually administered to healthy children over 6 months and older, pregnant women and people with chronic ailments.

For those who have an aversion to needles can use nasal spray flu vaccines that can be used by healthy people between the ages of 2 and 49, except pregnant women. According to the state bureau of Public Health Laboratories, H1N1 is the principal strain of flu this season.