The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week sent out an advisory through the Health Alert Network describing recent reports of influenza A activity in Texas and elsewhere and emphasizing the need for timely vaccinations.
During the first week of October, Texas health authorities reported cases and school outbreaks of laboratory-confirmed influenza A infections in the Houston metropolitan area, CDC said. During August and September, CDC learned of similar cases in AK, CT, DC, HI, LA, NH, NY, TX, WA and WI.
CDC said supplies of influenza vaccine are adequate in the United States this year. "The adequate supply, coupled with appearance of community influenza activity in Texas in early October, serves as a reminder of the need for timely vaccination against influenza, particularly among persons six months of age or older and who are at increased risk for complications of influenza," CDC said.
For more info, www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/flu/fluvirus.htm