You can be forgiven if you think that everybody’s got the flu in Memphis. It’s not everybody, but data is showing that what’s called Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) has been hitting the metro area hard.
The U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network reports that while the state average for percent of outpatient visits for Influenza-like illness is 11.9 percent, the average for the Memphis/Shelby County metro area is 19.5 percent.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Current United States Flu Activity Map also shows that ILI activity in Tennessee is “very high,” and among the highest in the United States.
The Shelby County Health Department defines ILI as “fever greater than 100 degrees plus cough and or sore throat, in the absence of a known cause.” It says this is based off of symptoms only and does not require testing.
The impact has been felt by the community as well.
A Facebook user under the name Shina Hayes had a post go viral recently in which she stated “So y’all telling me the whole Memphis sick.” The post has more than 1,500 shares with citizens sharing their experience with the recent spate of flu and flu-like symptoms.
“I was sick all last week. Covid and flu is going around bad. Look at how many people shared the post that’s sick or have been sick,” said a user under the name Alexis Payne.
The Health Department also found that emergency department visits related to ILIs accounted for almost 20 percent of cases during the week of December 17-23 — the most recent set of data.
“Data will be posted every 2-3 days during times of high seasonal activity and then weekly as we begin to see a decrease in activity,” the Health Department says.
Officials have stated that ILI activity is “very high,” and that around that time the previous year, ILI cases only accounted for 3.6 percent of visits.
The information also confirms that people ages 5-24 also account for the highest age group of people being seen for “influenza-like illness” (ILI) in the emergency department, according to the Health Department.
