Roundup: Flu spreads quickly across California

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said Thursday that it has received 17 reports of laboratory-confirmed influenza-related deaths among patients under the age of 65 statewide during the 2017-2018 influenza season.

Throughout the state, influenza, also known as the flu, is widely circulating and hitting earlier than usual. In Riverside County, for example, there were 3,415 ambulance transports related to the flu, a spike of 31 percent above the average, local TV station ABC7 reported.

This year's flu season is more severe than average. One reason is because of the type of flu strain going around, California health officials said.

The surge in flu cases created longer waiting times at hospitals and heavier workloads for paramedics in California. Some pharmacies have also reported shortages of the Tamiflu medication.

Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death.

Being different from a cold, the flu usually comes on suddenly. Symptoms of flu include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.

Flu can be serious for everyone, but the elderly, young children, pregnant women and people with health problems are seen as particularly vulnerable to the virus.

California is one of 49 states and Puerto Rico that have reported either regional or widespread flu activity during the week ending Dec. 23, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s most recent surveillance report.

Widespread means that more than 50 percent of geographic regions within a U.S. state are reporting flu activity.

In the United States, influenza activity has increased significantly over recent weeks with influenza A(H3N2) viruses predominating so far this season.

The geographic spread of influenza in 36 states was reported as widespread. Puerto Rico and 13 states reported regional activity. One state reported local activity and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam did not report.

Across the country, there have been more than 13,000 confirmed cases of flu, about six times more than the number reported around the same time last year, according to media reports.

The CDC recommended the use of antiviral drugs as early as possible to treat flu illness in people who are very sick with flu and those at high risk of serious flu complications. Enditem