Background: Seasonal influenza constitutes an enormous public health burden. The 2017-2018 influenza season was the most severe since the 2009 novel Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic. The State of Texas, like other states, experienced unusually high and persistent influenza activity.
Methods: Data on confirmed cases of influenza and influenza-like illness (ILI) in Brazos County during December 2017 were collected by the Brazos County Health Department (BCHD) from medical records. Records of vaccine administered between January 1 and December 31, 2017 were collected from vaccination providers. The total number of influenza cases for 2017 was compiled from regular weekly influenza counts reported to BCHD by healthcare providers.
Results: A total of 1651 cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza were reported in Brazos County residents in December 2017, 10 times more than that reported in December 2016. The highest rates of infection were in 2 ZIP codes where vaccination rates were also high. A total of 16 027 influenza vaccinations were given to individuals reporting a residential address in Brazos County in 2017. Vaccination coverage was lowest among adults aged 18 to 49, whereas those aged 65 or older and Hispanics were most likely to be hospitalized.
Discussion: Overall, vaccination coverage in Brazos County, Texas is low, less than half of the Healthy People 2020 target. The development of health education materials and an increased use of social media, local television and radio, and communication methods that can reach parents, younger adults, and Hispanic residents are needed.
Keywords: Influenza; communicable diseases; disease outbreaks; public health practice; vaccines.