While fears about a bird flu pandemic have grown recently overseas, an increasing number of people right here at home are falling ill with this winter’s seasonal flu bug. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu incidence has been on the rise since late December, spreading from the Southwest corner of the U.S. and making its way eastward.
Seasonal flu affects up to 40 million Americans every year. Influenza and its complications are responsible for an average of 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths annually in the U.S.
“Many Americans see flu as a nuisance rather than a serious health threat,” said Donald Perlman, M.D., who specializes in treating respiratory illnesses at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in New Jersey. “While concern about the avian flu is understandable, the health risks associated with seasonal flu are much higher for the average American than the bird flu threat.”
Despite the upswing in flu incidence, there are two fewer treatment options this season. The CDC has recommended against the use of amantadine and rimantadine for the prevention and treatment of influenza...