The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) publishes a weekly report throughout the active flu season that combines data from a variety of sources to give the most complete and up-to-date picture of flu activity in Utah. Data in this report are provisional and will change as more complete reports are received.
Report date: September 24 to September 30, 2023 (MMWR week 39)
Flu activity remains low in Utah. Though high rates of flu illness are not expected through the summer, the flu virus will continue to circulate in the community. It is not too late to get a flu vaccine if you have not done so this year. If you have already received a vaccine for the 2022-2023 season, you will not need to consider vaccination until August, or when instructed by your healthcare provider. You should get a flu vaccine each year, and complete your doses close to the beginning of the flu season. Children 6 months through 8 years getting a flu vaccine for the first time, and those who have only previously gotten one dose of flu vaccine, should get two doses of vaccine. The first dose should be given as soon as vaccine becomes available.
Flu vaccines are a good way to protect you and those around you from multiple strains in a season. And, it isn’t too late to talk to your healthcare provider and get the vaccine that’s right for you. Flu vaccines help reduce the spread of flu and decrease the risk of severe illness due to flu . Those who are at high risk of complications due to flu include children younger than 5 years old, people older than age 65, pregnant people, and people who have certain pre-existing conditions such as asthma, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, or have had a stroke.
Indicators below the IT50 threshold are shown in green in the gauges and plots below, and are considered low severity. Indicators between IT50 and IT90 (yellow) are considered moderate severity, indicators between IT90 and IT98 (red) are considered high severity, and indicators above IT98 are considered very high severity (purple). This methodology was published by CDC researchers in the American Journal of Epidemiology in October 2017.
Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus that infects the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Luckily, there are steps you and your family can take to fight flu and stay healthy this flu season. Find more information on the CDC site for Influenza (Flu).
The best way to prevent flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year. You can find flu vaccine providers here.
Take preventive actions to stop the spread of germs. Wash your hands, cover your cough, and stay home from work or school when you are sick.
Take influenza antiviral drugs if your doctor prescribes them.
Influenza-associated hospitalization (IAH) is a reportable condition in Utah. People meet the case definition for flu hospitalization if they are hospitalized for any length of time and have a positive influenza laboratory test within a specific time frame. More information about this definition can be found on the Seasonal Influenza Disease Plan. Public health in Utah gathers a variety of data on influenza hospitalizations, including clinical features, course of illness, risk and protective factors, and influenza type and subtype. Data from influenza hospitalizations allow public health officials in Utah to better understand the groups of people most severely affected by influenza and help guide prevention messages and interventions. Data collection for the 2022-2023 influenza season began on October 2, 2022.
The U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet) is a national system that conducts surveillance for ILI in outpatient healthcare facilities, including emergency departments. For this system, ILI is defined as fever (temperature of 100º F or greater) and a cough and/or sore throat. These data provide an indication of ILI circulating in the community.
The ILI activity in local health department jurisdictions is calculated differently than the state severity above. Local ILI levels are based on the comparison between current ILI reports and jurisdictional baselines. These methods are similar to the methods used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to measure state-specific ILI activity. More information on the methods used to calculate jurisdictional ILI activity can be found here.
| Weekly count | Weekly percentage | Count | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Influenza A | 37 | 75.5% | 22892 | 95.3% |
| Influenza A seasonal H1 | 3 | 8.1% | 643 | 2.8% |
| Influenza A seasonal H3 | 1 | 2.7% | 1179 | 5.2% |
| Influenza A, unsubtyped | 33 | 89.2% | 21070 | 92.0% |
| Influenza B | 11 | 22.4% | 1123 | 4.7% |
Influenza A viruses can be typed into different strains. The most common subtypes of influenza A viruses found in people are influenza A (H1N1) and influenza A (H3N2) viruses. In the spring of 2009, a new influenza A (H1N1) virus emerged that caused severe illness in humans. This new virus was very different from the human influenza A (H1N1) viruses circulating at that time and caused the first influenza pandemic in more than 40 years. That virus (often called “2009 H1N1”) has now replaced the H1N1 virus that was previously circulating in humans. Some influenza tests are unable to differentiate between influenza A strains, so many positive influenza A results reported to DHHS are unsubtyped.