Nearly 50 million Americans have been infected with 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) as of Nov. 14, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since April, more than 200,000 have been hospitalized, and nearly 10,000 have died from the virus. Most of those affected have been children or young adults. Deaths have occurred in 1,100 children and 7,500 younger adults, CDC director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden said during a Dec. 10 telebriefing.
“The bottom line is, by Nov. 14, many more children and younger adults, unfortunately, had been hospitalized or killed by H1N1 influenza than what occurs during a usual flu season. ... This is a flu that’s much harder on younger people,” he said.
About 15% of the U.S. population – 1 in 6 people – has been infected with H1N1 influenza, leaving the majority still uninfected and therefore remaining susceptible. “It’s still a good window of opportunity to get vaccinated against H1N1 influenza,” Dr. Frieden said.
Another 12 million doses have been added to the United States’ supply in the past week, bringing the total available doses up to 85 million. Consistent with CDC recommendations, many states have increased eligibility for the vaccine to the general population, having met the demand in the five priority groups.
The number of H1N1 cases has been declining in recent weeks, but it’s still not clear what will happen when the seasonal flu hits, Dr. Frieden said. Influenza B, which is included in the seasonal flu vaccine, has begun to appear. Influenza season typically lasts through May. “We don’t know what the future will bring in terms of H1N1 influenza. ...The more people who are vaccinated, the fewer cases we will have, and the less likely we are to have a third wave or more cases in the weeks and months to come,” Dr. Frieden said.
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据美国疾病预防控制中心(CDC)最新推测数据显示，到11月14日，美国2009年度大流行性甲型(H1N1)流感感染例数接近5,000万例。
Thomas R. Frieden博士在12月10日的电话报告会上指出，自4月份以来，因感染此病毒已有逾20万人住院，近1万人死亡，其中大多数感染者为儿童或年轻人。儿童和年轻人的死亡例数分别为1,100和7,500例。
他说，“不幸的是，截止11月14日， 因H1N1流感住院或死亡的儿童和年轻人的人数超过普通流感季节相应人数……，这种流感对年轻人更为凶猛。”
Frieden博士说，大约有15%的美国人口(6人中有1人)已感染H1N1流感，大多数仍未感染，因此还是易感人群。“很明显，这是接种H1N1流感疫苗的大好时机。”
上周美国疫苗供应量又增加1,200万剂，总量达8,500万剂。依照CDC的建议，许多州已提高了普通民众接种疫苗的资格，满足了5类优先接种人群的需要。
Frieden博士表示， H1N1流感病例数在最近几周有所减少，但对于季节性流感侵袭时会发生什么状况仍不清楚。乙型流感已经开始出现，季节性流感疫苗中也包括其相应的疫苗。流感季节通常持续至5月底。“我们不知道H1N1流感将会导致什么情况……，接种疫苗的人越多，感染例数就会越少，我们在今后的数周或数月内面临又一次流感或有更多感染病例的可能性就会越小。”
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