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Highlights
Influenza
The peak of the 2003-2004 influenza season occurred in December
2003, while the peak of the 2004-2005 influenza season occurred
in mid-February, which is why so many additional cases were reported
in March 2005 compared to the same time period last year. The number
of reported cases has continued to decrease statewide since mid-February,
particularly in areas along the Wastach front. The proportion of
patients visiting sentinel providers for influenza-like illness
also decreased during the month. This
influenza season appears to be much less severe than the 2003-2004
influenza season, according to hospitalization reports. To date,
there have been much fewer influenza-related hospitalizations reported
for this season compared to last year. Click
here for more information
about the flu season and the disease.
Pertussis
("Whooping Cough")
The number of reported
pertussis cases continues to be higher than expected in Utah, especially
from communities along the Wasatch Front. Pertussis outbreaks have
been reported in many states this year. Pertussis is a common cause
of chronic cough during community outbreaks. Testing for pertussis
can help interrupt the spread of the disease and guide doctors in
the appropriate use of antibiotics for treatment of the bacterial
infection. Like other areas of the U.S., the Utah Department of
Health has observed a disproportionate increase in the number of
cases reported among adolescents and adults. Historically, the majority
of reported cases have been among unvaccinated children. Click here
for more information about the disease.
The total
number of confirmed and suspect cases for selected diseases, reported
by Utah health
districts, is provided below (Table
1 and Figure 1). Click on the disease
names in Table 1 to access their corresponding fact sheets. Click
here
for sexually-transmitted disease epidemiologic data. Click here
for AIDS/HIV epidemiologic data.
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