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The influenza outbreak has been more aggressive this year than recent years in Overland Park and the Kansas City area. Many internists are noting that they are seeing more patients with influenza like illnesses this year than in recent years. The KC Star reports 690 deaths in the state of Kansas from influenza and pneumonia and Missouri, earlier this month, had the highest influenza rate in the country. The most common strain has been the H3N2, although there have been many B strains and H1N1 viruses. This year has demonstrated the highest incidence of influenza-like illness incidence since at least 2009, but the severity of the outbreak, meaning numbers of hospitalizations and deaths, however, seems similar to the 2014-5 season.
H1N1 was the dominant strain during the influenza pandemic of 2009. Interestingly, baby boomers were affected much greater than seniors, thought to reflect imprinting of the virus on seniors’ immune system. This strain had been common until the late 1940’s, thus carrying over some immunogenicity in this population. H1N1 however, had not been common between 1947 and 2009, leading the immune naïve baby boomers and younger generations more susceptible to disease.
The present strain H3N2 has been a more aggressive strain leading to more fulminant disease and this has been the more common strain 2 years in a row. It is unclear why this virus causes more aggressive influenza than others.
With this outbreak, hospitals emergency rooms and inpatients beds have been busy. At the time of writing this, St. Lukes Hospital of Kansas City has a wait of 3 hours 3 minues, KU 3 hours 5 minues, Menorah 2 hours 6 minues, and St. Lukes South 2 hours 21 minutes.

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