Emergency department visits for influenza and pneumonia: United States, 2016-2018

ABSTRACT

This article describes emergency department (ED) visit rates for patients with influenza and pneumonia (either influenza or pneumonia, or both) by selected patient characteristics. Results showed that the emergency department (ED) visit rate per 1,000 persons was 7.9 for patients with pneumonia, 4.4 for patients with influenza, and 12.2 for patients with either or both. The ED visit rate for patients with influenza and pneumonia was higher among younger children than older children and increased with age among adults, and ED visit rate for patients with influenza and pneumonia was highest among non-Hispanic black persons compared with persons from other race and ethnicity groups. The ED visit rate for patients with influenza and pneumonia was also higher for persons with Medicare (19.9 per 1,000 persons with Medicare) or Medicaid (26.2 per 1,000 persons with Medicaid) compared with persons with private insurance or uninsured persons. With the recent spread of COVID-19, which has signs and symptoms that can mirror or appear similar to those resulting from influenza and pneumonia, monitoring ED visits for influenza and pneumonia will continue to be important.