Widespread flu activity across the country
NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) – Federal authorities are reporting widespread flu activity across the country and two states with especially high levels.
Colorado and Georgia were singled out for high rates of influenza-like illnesses reported.
New York City and nine states (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Virginia) experienced moderate activity, according to the latest numbers.
Louisiana had seen high rates of flu in late November but numbers have dropped in that state.
The good news is that 28 states (Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) experienced minimal flu activity, as of December 15, 2018.
Virus sending infants to intensive care
Federal health officials warned this week of a highly contagious cold-like virus that affects everyone, and leaves the elderly and young kids especially vulnerable — including a 14-month-old girl who landed in the intensive care unit.
New Orleans mom Mary Danna Daste and her husband, Kevin, rushed their daughter Vivian to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
The toddler had developed a troubling cough and high fever earlier this month, 4WWL reported.
“About 3 a.m., she started with this bark-like cough,” Daste told the network. “It sounded like a seal cough. At 5 a.m., her fever spiked to 103 degrees, so we went straight to Children’s Hospital [in New Orleans]. When they told me within 24 hours after that, that she was being put in ICU, that’s when I freaked out.”
Doctors told the parents that the tot also had pneumonia and adenovirus.
Vivian wasn’t the only child hospitalized for RSV.
“They said it’s really bad this year compared to other years,” Daste, who lives in Metairie, said doctors told her. “Out of the 19 rooms they had in ICU, about nine had children positive with RSV.”