Flu cases being seen earlier in Cape Girardeau County

Influenza, particularly influenza A, is being seen earlier than usual this year, according to Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center.

"In a typical year, we probably wouldn't be seeing numbers quite as high as what we're seeing right now," said Autumn Grim, the department's epidemiologist and project coordinator, who reports monthly to the health center's Board of Trustees on communicable disease in the county.

"We had 10 (flu) cases in September, 463 in October, and for November, we are already at that figure and then some," said Grim, who spoke to the Southeast Missourian on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

"What we usually see with the flu season is, you're going to get those peaks, those really large numbers, in January and February. The fact that we're seeing these figures prior to the holidays is definitely concerning."

Grim explained that 2022 "is a H1N1 year, and those years tend to be a little more severe with respiratory symptoms."

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, influenza A (H1N1) strain, colloquially referred to as "swine flu," was detected in the U.S. in 2009 and "spread quickly across the United States and the world."

On Monday, Nov. 28, CDC reported 6.2 million flu cases, 53,000 hospitalizations and 2,900 deaths so far this fall.

Recommendation

For those who haven't gotten a flu vaccine, Grim said it is not too late.

"Vaccines are meant to lessen severity of illness, too. If you've had a flu vaccine, if you get the flu, it's probably not going to be as severe, probably won't end up in the hospital," she said.

"We don't have any flu clinics scheduled in December. We had them in October and November to get ahead of the peak. We do offer vaccines here (at the health department) daily. If somebody wants to call and walk in, we can certainly accommodate that but we don't have any (more) clinics scheduled," she added.

The Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center is located at 1121 Linden St. in Cape Girardeau.

For more information call (573) 335-7846 or visit www.capecountyhealth.com.