As the flu surges, Congress must act

The flu season is off to an alarming start. Hospitalizations from influenza are at their highest levels in the last decade, and case counts are rising across the country. Meanwhile, vaccination rates have fallen well below historical trends. This, plus a surge of other respiratory viruses, has contributed to what some are calling a pediatric care crisis in many parts of the country.

Thankfully, some members of Congress are taking long-overdue action to improve the way our country prepares for and responds to seasonal and pandemic flu.   

Public health experts typically look to the Southern Hemisphere for a signal of what America’s influenza season will entail. This past summer, Australia’s season was both early and severe: Between May and July, weekly flu cases exceeded the country’s five-year average and sick leave rose 50 percent. Young children were most at risk, with the highest case rates among those ages five through nine, followed by children ages four and younger.

Unfortunately, we are seeing the same patterns play out in the U.S. Official estimates show that in the early months of the 2022-23 flu season, there have been at least 15 million illnesses, 150,000 hospitalizations and 9,300 deaths from flu. Tragically, this includes 30 pediatric deaths. 

Alarmingly, this occurs against the backdrop of what may become the world’s worst outbreak of avian flu. While the current strain – which has devastated some wild bird species and resulted in the deaths of more than 50 million poultry in the U.S., a new record – is poorly adapted to humans, that could quickly change as the virus mutates.

Experts remain concerned that the next pandemic will be an influenza pandemic, similar to those that have swept the globe several times in the last century. Unfortunately, despite the experience of COVID-19, our country has made little progress in preparing for the next inevitable outbreak.

More can, and must, be done. This month, Reps Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-At-Large) introduced the Protecting America from Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza Act of 2022(“the Influenza Act”) to authorize many of the tools needed to strengthen the country’s flu infrastructure and enable the prevention, diagnosis and cutting-edge treatment needed to save lives.  

The federal government has a critical role in both seasonal and pandemic influenza preparedness and response. This includes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveillance, public messaging and assistance to state, local, territorial and tribal entities, as well as work by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to support research and development and stockpiling for pandemic preparedness. More must be done to strengthen these programs and ensure that we are making proactive investments in our battle against this deadly disease. 

Flu vaccination remains the best way to avoid hospitalizations and deaths. The Influenza Act would take steps to combat misinformation and strengthen vaccine confidence, while assessing lessons learned from COVID-19.  And even as we encourage Americans to get vaccinated, we must also strengthen our vaccine development and manufacturing to improve the efficacy, supply chain and delivery timeline for flu vaccines.  The Influenza Act would take critical steps toward these aims, including setting a national goal of developing a universal flu vaccine within 10 years. 

Beyond prevention, we must encourage Americans to seek diagnosis at the earliest signs of a flu infection and ensure their access to antiviral treatments. Programs like the “test-to-treat” pilots introduced as part of our COVID response are poised for use against influenza as well, allowing an immediate, differential diagnosis followed by safe and effective treatments deployed at the site of care. Rapid, convenient testing and treatment could both slow community spread and reduce the severity of disease.

The Influenza Act also includes important provisions to strengthen pandemic preparedness, including shoring up the Strategic National Stockpile. As noted in the White House’s recent progress report on the American Pandemic Preparedness Plan, we should view seasonal flu as a critical pandemic preparedness exercise. 

Lastly, the Influenza Act takes important steps toward addressing the longstanding underfunding of influenza programs by authorizing sustainable annual appropriations.

For too long, our country has accepted the status quo of tens of thousands of annual deaths from flu. The phrase “just the flu,” repeated far too often during the last three years, reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of this deadly virus. We have everything we need to address this dangerous threat more effectively: Science, technology and hard-won lessons in preparedness over the last three years.

Congress must take action to strengthen the federal government’s ability to keep our communities safe from seasonal and pandemic influenza.  

Former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) is chairman of the Coalition to Stop Flu.