Influenza never really goes away, but the official flu season is now ending, according to state health officials.
The 2003-2004 flu season was noteworthy for several reasons. It hit early and hard, peaked a couple of months early, in December, and was the first year where a normal supply of influenza vaccine ran out. Nationally, 83 million doses were distributed.
From October to May 12, the Utah Department of Health got reports of 6,340 confirmed cases of flu (1,053 of them lab confirmed), a number about six times higher than the previous flu season. And all along doctors and health officials said that was a massive undercount, since most people don't go to the doctor when they get the flu, and doctors don't always take cultures to confirm the suspected diagnosis.
"Part of that is increased testing for influenza and increased monitoring," said Christie Dickson, an epidemiologist in the state Department of Health. "The rapid test is being used more often and was not necessarily used in the past."
Influenza killed 10 Utahns by the official count, including one child and nine adults. "There may be others. Deaths are hard to count. Most of those who died had other underlying health problems. . . . There may be others."
Each year, health experts gather to formulate the next year's flu vaccine, based on what's going around and what's expected. For the just-ending flu season, they only almost got it right. A variant strain of influenza A, Fujian, wasn't part of the vaccine. It was, however, very much a part of what was going around. Fortunately, said Dickson, the vaccine contained a related strain which probably offered some protection and in some cases may have prevented flu altogether.
But department studies suggest the vaccine was "less effective than usual" against the variant strain, according to the state's flu-season summary. Next year's influenza vaccine will protect against the variant strain, among others.
The average age of Utahns who were diagnosed was 16, said Steve McDonald, a Health Department spokesman.
The state also tracked school absenteeism during the flu-intensive months and monitored rates of flu-like sicknesses at 38 sentinel health clinics statewide.
Worldwide travel means flu may be around any time during the year, but the numbers drop so much in spring and summer that the Utah Department of Health and local health departments only track influenza from October to April.
While no one can predict what kind of flu season fall will usher in, Dickson said efforts are already being made to see that vaccine reaches those at highest risk for complications should they get the flu, including the elderly and anyone with a chronic illness or compromised immune system, among others.
E-mail: lois@desnews.com