The state’s flu report for the week ending October 12th shows that influenza in Arkansas remains low.
The Arkansas Department of Health released its weekly flu report on Wednesday morning with these key points:
• For Week 41, Arkansas reported “Sporadic” activity to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for geographic spread of influenza, and “Minimal” or 3 out of 10 for ILI intensity.
• Since September 29, 2019, over 180 positive influenza tests have been reported to the ADH online database by health care providers, with over 80 positive tests reported this week. Reported cases reflect only a portion of the actual numbers of flu cases in the state.
• Among flu antigen tests that can distinguish between influenza A and B virus types, 78 percent were influenza A, and 22 percent were influenza B.
• There were 8 positive PCR flu tests from private labs this week: 3 tested positive for influenza A and 5 tested positive for influenza B. At the ADH lab, no samples were tested for influenza this week.
• To date, no influenza-related deaths have been reported in Arkansas this flu season. A total of 120 deaths were reported last flu season.
