Five stories for the start of flu season

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Influenza activity is increasing in most parts of the United States and is at or above baseline levels in three regions, the CDC reported Monday.

During the week ending Nov. 4, 2.9% of outpatient visits nationally were for influenza-like illness (ILI) — an increase from 2.8% the previous week and equal to the national ILI baseline that the CDC set for the 2023-2024 season.

ILI activity increased in eight of 10 U.S. regions during the week, the CDC reported. The agency estimated that there have been at least 490,000 illnesses, 5,300 hospitalizations and 330 deaths from influenza so far this season.

As cases track upward, we compiled a list of five recent Healio articles about influenza, including several updates on vaccine research.

FDA will review self-administered flu vaccine for approval

AstraZeneca announced in October that the FDA will review what could be the country’s first self-administered influenza vaccine: FluMist — the company’s nasal spray vaccine — which is already approved for use in the United States, but only as administered by a health care professional. Amesh A. Adalja, MD, and Healio | Infectious Disease News Editorial Board Member William Schaffner, MD, weighed in with their perspectives on what a self-administered influenza vaccine could do for uptake. Read more.

Many health care personnel not up to date on COVID-19, flu vaccines

A recently published study found that many health care personnel in the United States who are working in acute-care hospitals and nursing homes did not receive an influenza vaccine last season and are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines. Influenza vaccine coverage was just 47% among workers in nursing homes. Read more.

Wastewater signals match spikes in clinical cases of COVID-19, flu, RSV

At IDWeek, researchers reported the results of a Canadian study that demonstrated the usefulness of wastewater surveillance to identify spikes in cases of several respiratory illnesses, including influenza. Wastewater signals in Calgary, Alberta, correlated closely with clinical cases of influenza A and B, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus. Read more.

Moderna sees positive results from combo vaccine against COVID-19, flu

Moderna announced in October that its messenger RNA combination vaccine against influenza and COVID-19 elicited neutralizing antibodies that were as high — or higher — than existing vaccines in a phase 1/2 trial. A phase 3 trial is next. Read more.

Flu treatment shift or drift? A focus on combination therapy

In this recent “Pharmacology Consult” column, Jennifer Ross, PharmD, an infectious diseases clinical pharmacist at M Health Fairview – University of Minnesota Medical Center, explores the potential of combination antiretroviral therapy — which has improved clinical outcomes in other viral illnesses, such as HIV — to treat influenza. Read more.

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