Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 3, 1993 TAG: 9312030012
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium
Federal health officials Thursday recommended vaccinations for people at highest risk of death from flu, including the elderly and people with chronic diseases.
Through late November, health officials in three states reported Beijing flu outbreaks and 14 states reported sporadic cases.
"When the predominant strain is the Beijing, a lot of the population tends to be susceptible," said Nancy Arden, chief of influenza epidemiology for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Things seem to be happening a little bit earlier than usual this season."
In Europe, outbreaks of the Beijing flu occurred as early as October in England, Scotland and Finland, the CDC said.
"Their season was unusually early," Arden said. "In October, they were seeing what we were seeing in November."
The flu season typically begins in November. Outbreaks usually don't occur until December or January. The season got off to a surprise start when Louisiana reported outbreaks of the Beijing flu in August in a nursing home and on a barge.
"It's hard to say when we might see a peak of activity. It remains very hard to predict," Arden said. "There are some years when we have an early start to the season, we'll have an early end. But that's not the case every time."
Last year's season was dominated by the Type B flu strain, which is mild and typically hits children and young adults.
Type A flu, which caused an epidemic in the United States in 1991 and crept into the end of the last flu season, is the harshest and is most often deadly to the elderly and people with chronic diseases. Beijing is the worst strain of Type A.
"It's the one that is most often associated with the highest mortality during the influenza season," Arden said.
by CNB