Flu Season This Year Began At Christmas

Flu Season This Year Began At Christmas.
In Chicago, a polyclinic hand describes the crisis division as "knee-deep in flu and pneumonia cases". In Richmond, VA, Dr Kenneth Lucas of the Patient First clinic says he's seen a 30 percent take-off in flu cases, which "hit the hound around Christmastime" and "really rolled in with the holidays". And in Rhode Island, where almost 10 percent of exigency elbow-room visits in the former times week were due to flu-like symptoms, voice Health Department Director Michael Fine predicts this could be the worst flu ripen in years resources. This year's influenza period got off to an at start, and according to these and other published accounts it's ramping up as perfection flu age nears.

And "as we have moved into the end of December and January, liveliness has positively picked up in a lot more states," said Tom Skinner, spokesman for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rxlistplus com. Flu mature regularly peaks in overdue January or primitive February, Skinner said, but by November the flu was already stern and widespread in some parts of the South and Southeast.

Farther north, vocation has escalated in the Mid-Atlantic states, including Virginia, in totting up to Illinois and Rhode Island. "We did get off to an earlier birth than we most often see," Skinner said. According to the most current CDC statistics, end updated Dec 22, 2012 16 states and New York City were reporting gamy levels of flu activity. The states allow for Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

Experts reply each flu opportunity is unique. "Why one year flu condition gets off to an anciently shrink versus a dilatory shy is unknown," Skinner said. Last year's flu mellow was to some degree mild, Skinner noted. "We would wait for this year's flu time will be more severe than last year, but how dour it's too early to say," he said.

The primary strain so far this year is H3N2, Skinner said. "In years years when we have seen an H3N2 dominate, we see to to see more severe illness in girlish kids and the elderly," he added. An estimated 36000 consumers die from the flu and its complications in a standard season, according to the CDC. From 1976 to 2006, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States ranged from a vulgar of about 3000 to a drunk of about 49000 people.

The best buffer is for everyone 6 months of era and older to get the flu vaccine. "It's not too at an advanced hour to get vaccinated," Skinner said. Ample vaccine was made available, but since it's past due in the vaccination occasion it may be a little harder to find, he said.

Also encouraging is that the vaccine is a okay combine for the strains of flu circulating now, Skinner said. Flu symptoms subsume fever, cough, fatigue, administrator and body aches, and runny nose. People at single endanger for flu and its complications are pregnant women, those 65 and older and anyone with a lasting illness provillus shop. The CDC urges these citizenry to get the flu vaccine, which is ready as an injection or nasal spray and in a stronger amount for seniors.