During the week ending March 19, 1982, 6 states reported their
first influenza virus isolates of the season; in Iowa, Minnesota,
Nebraska, and Virginia influenza B viruses were recovered in early
March from children or young adults with sporadic illnesses, and in
Pennsylvania and Washington influenza A(H1N1) viruses were isolated
from a 3-year-old and from a 50-year-old in late February and early
March, respectively. In Tucson, Arizona, where influenza B virus
had
caused some school outbreaks in January (1), a school outbreak
caused
by influenza A(H1N1) virus occurred in mid-March. During the
1981-1982 season, a total of 9 states have reported influenza
A(H1N1)
and influenza B virus isolates, 20 states have reported only
influenza
B virus isolates, and 3 states have reported only influenza A(H1N1)
virus isolates. The overall level of influenza activity for the
nation remains low compared with recent years.
Increased spread of influenza virus to previously unaffected
communities, however, documented in recent weeks by virus isolation
and morbidity reports, has now been accompanied by the first report
of
influenza-associated mortality in a nursing home outbreak. From
the
last week of February to the middle of March approximately 38 cases
of
influenza-like illness occurred among 116 elderly residents of a
home
in Cobb County, Georgia, with the peak of new cases occurring on
March
10. Six influenza B viruses have been isolated thus far from
specimens collected on March 12 from 11 residents and 1 staff
member.
During the period of the outbreak, 6 patients with influenza-like
illness died. Investigations of vaccine efficacy in this nursing
home
and in a nursing home in Missouri (2) are in progress.
Reported by Y Wong, PhD, WJ Hausler, PhD, L Wintermeyer, MD, State
Epidemiologist, Iowa State Dept Health; R Siem, PhD, AD Dean, MD,
State Epidemiologist, Minnesota State Dept of Health; J Blosser, P
Stoesz, MD, State Epidemiologist, Nebraska State Dept of Health; J
Sarandria, Allegheny County Health Dept Laboratory, Pittsburgh, EJ
Witte, DVM, State Epidemiologist, Pennsylvania State Dept of
Health; S
Mills, J Allard, PhD, State Epidemiologist, Washington State Dept
of
Social and Health Svcs; H Krebs, RN, Cobb County Health Dept, M
Johnson, RN, T Munro, MS, J Buehler, MD, RK Sikes, DVM, State
Epidemiologist, Georgia Dept of Human Resources; R Worrell, RN, P
Noland, MD, Pima County Health Dept, L Minnich, MS, G Ray, MD,
University Hospital, Tucson, J Sacks, MD, Acting State
Epidemiologist,
Arizona Dept of Health Svcs; FG Hayden, MD, University of Virginia
Medical Center, GB Miller, Jr, MD, State Epidemiologist, Virginia
State Dept of Health; Influenza Br, Center for Infectious Diseases,
CDC.
References
CDC. Influenza update--United States. MMWR 1982;31:41.
CDC. Influenza update--United States. MMWR 1982;31:131.
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