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Influenza Outbreaks - District of Columbia, Iowa, Louisiana, New York City, North Carolina

Influenza type A(H1N1) has been isolated from patients in outbreaks that began in January in the District of Columbia, Iowa, Louisiana, New York City, and North Carolina. In the District of Columbia, 50 of the 400 students at a private high school reported influenza-like illnesses between January 3 and January 17. In Iowa, 100 of the 400 children in a Cedar Rapids grade school were absent with influenza-like illnesses when an outbreak there peaked in mid-January. The outbreak confirmed in Louisiana (the second in January) occurred in one unit of a state institution for the mentally retarded. Nineteen of the 22 residents of the unit (total institutional population about 500) had influenza-like illnesses between January 11 and January 14. Two other laboratory-confirmed outbreaks occurred in penal institutions in New York City and North Carolina. In New York City, 120 of 2,500 inmates had influenza-like illnesses beginning the second week of January; in North Carolina, 12 of the 120 young adult inmates developed influenza-like illness between January 3 and January 6.

Nationwide, reports continue to be received of school and college influenza outbreaks, many beginning since January 9, with high rates of absenteeism and clinic visits. Laboratory diagnoses are pending on many of these.

Three states, Hawaii, Maine, and Arizona, reported their first influenza isolations for the season. In Hawaii, three isolations of type A(H1N1) virus were obtained from children who had influenza in December, and two isolations of influenza type B virus were obtained from a child and a young adult who had influenza early in January. In Maine, an isolation of type A(H1N1) influenza virus was obtained from a young woman who developed influenza on January 7. In Arizona, an isolation of type A(H3N2) influenza virus was obtained from a 16-year-old who developed influenza on January 15. From Colorado and Nevada, where influenza type A(H1N1) viruses have been isolated earlier this season, sporadic isolations of influenza virus type B in January have been reported. Reported by M Levy, MD, District of Columbia Dept of Human Svcs; V Hitchcock, Linn County Health Dept, N Swack, PhD, State Hygenic Laboratory, R Currier, DVM, Iowa Dept of Health; R Gohd, PhD, Charity Hospital, New Orleans, L McFarland, DrPH, Louisiana State Dept of Health; R Cohen, MD, I Spigland, MD, Montefiore Hospital, S Friedman, MD, D Sencer, MD, New York City Dept of Health; F Croudt, PhD, N McCormack, MD, North Carolina Div of Health Svcs; G Kobayashi, Hawaii Dept of Health; P Haines, PhD, Maine Dept of Human Svcs; D Woodall, Arizona Dept of Health Svcs; G Meiklejohn, MD, University of Colorado Medical Center, Denver; P Reichelderfer, PhD, Sunrise Hospital, Las Vegas, Nevada; State Epidemiologists and Laboratory Directors; Div of Field Svcs, Epidemiology Program Office, Influenza Br, Div of Viral Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, CDC.

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