Flu impact in Cape Girardeau County less than expected

Flu season has arrived but the impact on Cape Girardeau County has been muted to date, the county's Public Health Center Board of Trustees was told Tuesday, Oct. 25.

"We did see a slight increase (in influenza) this month with only 10 cases reported to (the department), which is less than I would have expected by now," said Autumn Grim, the health department's epidemiologist and project coordinator, who makes monthly reports to the trustees on the status of communicable disease in the county.

"Flu has not hit us too hard just yet," she added.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, "the southeast and southcentral areas of the U.S. (are) reporting the highest levels of (influenza) activity," with data up through the week of Oct. 15.

CDC said "ideally" flu vaccinations should be received by the end of October.

Locally

Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center said community flu clinics will be offered into November — billed to Medicare and Medicaid, if applicable. If not billable to those programs, the cost of a flu shot is $25.

The following flu immunizations clinics are being offered in the county over the next week.

• 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at Gordonville Fire Department, 711 State Route Z.
• Noon to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at Jackson Fire Station No. 1, 503 S. Hope St.
• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, at Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center, 1121 Linden St., Cape Girardeau.

The clinics noted above are all drive-through.