Outbreak Outlook - Northeast - Jan 27

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Respiratory Diseases

ILI

As I wrote in the National edition, the Trump administration’s pause on health communications interrupted flu data, specifically outpatient influenza-like illness. To close the gap, I visited all 50 websites of the state health departments, and gathered what I could.

At the national level, flu defied my expectations by resurging after two consecutive weeks of improvement. Unfortunately, the Northeast is affected by this trend, with New Jersey and New York seeing increases in influenza-like illness. New Jersey and Connecticut also saw marked increases in emergency department visits, suggesting the region is seeing a second peak.

New Jersey leads the region with ED visits at 8.0% (up sharply from 6.0%, a 32% increase). New York shows elevated activity with ED visits at 5.2% (up from 4.3%) and the region's highest hospitalization rate at 9.1 per 100,000 (up from 8.0), with ILI visits at 3.7%. Pennsylvania reports increasing ED visits at 4.4% (up from 3.4%).

Connecticut shows significant increases with ED visits at 5.7% (up from 3.7%, a 53% increase) and hospitalizations at 7.4 per 100,000 (down from 9.5). Massachusetts reports ED visits at 5.2% (up from 3.6%), with ILI visits at 6.9%. Rhode Island shows lower but increasing ED visits at 3.4% (up from 2.7%).

New Hampshire reports ED visits at 5.2% (up from 4.3%). Vermont shows moderate activity with ED visits at 3.3% (up from 2.4%), with ILI visits at 2.8%. Maine maintains the region's lowest ED visit rate at 2.1% (virtually unchanged from 2.1%), with ILI visits at 3.7%.

I could not find updated information for New York City. The city’s next report will be published here, but I’m not sure when it will become available.

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COVID-19