AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
The five boroughs of New York City appear to have escaped the second wave of Swine Flu that enveloped most of the nation in October and November. The City had one of the severest outbreaks of pandemic H1N1 in the spring of 2009 but has seen relatively little increased activity this fall.
The highest number of cases of influenza like illness (ILI) are due to Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), which is appearing in tests at double the rate of influenza. The B type influenza is also present in small numbers, one of the strains that are part of seasonal flu.
Emergency department visits for influenza like illness at the fifty hospitals that the City Health Department monitors remain elevated but less than half of the rate experienced in the spring. Children under the age of four make up the largest group being seen in emergency departments for ILI. RSV is prevalent in this age group.
Since August 30, there have been 13 influenza related deaths in New York City. Ten of these were in patients under 65. Death rates due to pneumonia and influenza are similar to those in previous years at this time.
The New York City Health Department is holding clinics on December 12 and 13 to distribute Swine Flu vaccine. The City has received over 1.96 million doses of vaccine through December 9.
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