No local concerns over US flu cases

This country’s acting chief medical officer, Dr. James Knight, has suggested that there is no need for concern over flu-related complications and deaths currently being recorded in the U.S.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) said up to 650,000 people worldwide could die from complications of the flu.
The acting chief medical officer said there are no great concerns locally, even as 23 states in the U.S. reported increased cases of influenza, something the C.D.C. said was proof of an intensifying flu season.
But, Dr. Knight said while there is no need for alarm, he is recommending flu shots for debilitated persons and people with low immunity from some chronic complaint.
The vaccines are against viruses from previous years; none would be available for the new and potentially dangerous viruses. He added that the cumulative effect of the old viruses and the new are potentially dangerous.
Dr. Knight added that some people in Antigua and Barbuda take their flu shots annually.
The flu shots are available at the St. John’s Health Centre and private medical facilities.
In the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 
FluView report for the week ending December 16, 2017, 23 states reported widespread influenza. In the previous week, the flu was geographically widespread in just 12 states.
During that week ending December 16, Puerto Rico and 23 states reported regional flu activity, while the District of Columbia and Delaware, Hawaii, Utah, and West Virginia reported only local flu activity.
The proportion of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness jumped from 2.7 percent to 3.5 percent, in just one week, and continued to climb above the national baseline of 2.2 percent.
Influenza A viruses made up more than 86 percent of all influenza-positive respiratory specimens.
The possible flu activity levels and their definitions are:
    No Activity: No laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza and no reported increase in the number of cases of influenza-like illness (ILI).
    Sporadic: Small numbers of laboratory-confirmed influenza cases or a single laboratory-confirmed influenza outbreak has been reported, but there is no increase in cases of ILI.
    Local: Outbreaks of influenza or increases in ILI cases and recent laboratory-confirmed influenza in a single region of the state.
    Regional: Outbreaks of influenza or increases in ILI and recent laboratory confirmed influenza in at least two but less than half the regions of the state with recent laboratory evidence of influenza in those regions.
    Widespread: Outbreaks of influenza or increases in ILI cases and recent laboratory-confirmed influenza in at least half the regions of the state with recent laboratory evidence of influenza in the state.