IOWA, USA — Influenza activity surged to very high levels across Iowa during the week ending Dec. 27, according to new state data, as respiratory illness drove nearly one-quarter of emergency department visits statewide.
The Iowa Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report for MMWR Week 52, released Jan. 2, shows 32.9% of influenza tests were positive, an increase of 13.2 percentage points from the previous week.
Influenza-related illness continued to drive hospital visits statewide. Emergency department visits linked to influenza accounted for 8.2% of visits, a significant increase from the previous week…