Influenza Outbreaks - District of Columbia, Iowa, Louisiana, New
York City, North Carolina
Influenza type A(H1N1) has been isolated from patients in
outbreaks that began in January in the District of Columbia, Iowa,
Louisiana, New York City, and North Carolina. In the District of
Columbia, 50 of the 400 students at a private high school reported
influenza-like illnesses between January 3 and January 17. In
Iowa,
100 of the 400 children in a Cedar Rapids grade school were absent
with influenza-like illnesses when an outbreak there peaked in
mid-January. The outbreak confirmed in Louisiana (the second in
January) occurred in one unit of a state institution for the
mentally
retarded. Nineteen of the 22 residents of the unit (total
institutional population about 500) had influenza-like illnesses
between January 11 and January 14. Two other laboratory-confirmed
outbreaks occurred in penal institutions in New York City and North
Carolina. In New York City, 120 of 2,500 inmates had
influenza-like
illnesses beginning the second week of January; in North Carolina,
12
of the 120 young adult inmates developed influenza-like illness
between January 3 and January 6.
Nationwide, reports continue to be received of school and
college
influenza outbreaks, many beginning since January 9, with high
rates
of absenteeism and clinic visits. Laboratory diagnoses are pending
on
many of these.
Three states, Hawaii, Maine, and Arizona, reported their first
influenza isolations for the season. In Hawaii, three isolations
of
type A(H1N1) virus were obtained from children who had influenza in
December, and two isolations of influenza type B virus were
obtained
from a child and a young adult who had influenza early in January.
In
Maine, an isolation of type A(H1N1) influenza virus was obtained
from
a young woman who developed influenza on January 7. In Arizona, an
isolation of type A(H3N2) influenza virus was obtained from a
16-year-old who developed influenza on January 15. From Colorado
and
Nevada, where influenza type A(H1N1) viruses have been isolated
earlier this season, sporadic isolations of influenza virus type B
in
January have been reported.
Reported by M Levy, MD, District of Columbia Dept of Human Svcs; V
Hitchcock, Linn County Health Dept, N Swack, PhD, State Hygenic
Laboratory, R Currier, DVM, Iowa Dept of Health; R Gohd, PhD,
Charity
Hospital, New Orleans, L McFarland, DrPH, Louisiana State Dept of
Health; R Cohen, MD, I Spigland, MD, Montefiore Hospital, S
Friedman,
MD, D Sencer, MD, New York City Dept of Health; F Croudt, PhD, N
McCormack, MD, North Carolina Div of Health Svcs; G Kobayashi,
Hawaii
Dept of Health; P Haines, PhD, Maine Dept of Human Svcs; D Woodall,
Arizona Dept of Health Svcs; G Meiklejohn, MD, University of
Colorado
Medical Center, Denver; P Reichelderfer, PhD, Sunrise Hospital, Las
Vegas, Nevada; State Epidemiologists and Laboratory Directors; Div
of
Field Svcs, Epidemiology Program Office, Influenza Br, Div of Viral
Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, CDC.
Disclaimer
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