Flu not as severe as last year, officials say

While there has been an uptick in illness at some schools recently, Southeast Missouri’s flu season so far is not as severe as last year, according to Cape Girardeau County Public Health Department.

Vanessa Presley, Cape Girardeau County communicable disease coordinator and public health nurse, said the flu season started off pretty slow, but it has picked up.

The totals as of Friday morning were not anywhere near last year’s totals at this time, Presley said. There had been 226 Type A and 22 Type B flu diagnoses officially reported, she said.

But Presley stressed those numbers can change at any time. There also are different viruses within those types, she added.

“This is all lab-confirmed. It’s not people calling in and saying, ‘I have the flu,’” she said. “We get it from doctors’ offices, hospitals and labs.”

She said the age group most susceptible to contracting the flu is between age 5 and 24. Younger children and older people are more susceptible to most anything, flu included, Presley said.

So far this year, within the State of Missouri, there have been eight deaths reported associated with flu and possibly pneumonia, she said.

“This time last year, there were 74 deaths (due to the flu),” she confirmed.

Within Missouri, there have been nearly 10,413 total official flu reports, compared to 66,373 this time last year, Presley said.

But, she said, those numbers could be different this time next week.

Reports of the flu usually begin in October and November, she said. But on the average, January and February are considered the highest point of flu season, she explained, adding some years it might extend to March.

“It just depends on when it decides to hit and when it decides to leave,” she said. “It’s got a mind of its own.”

And sometimes there can be a “straggler flu” strain, she said, that ends up in March, April, May or even June.

A lot of times flu and pneumonia run hand-in-hand, Presley said, especially in older people, young children and those who are immunocompromised.

She said once the flu is contracted, “that’s bad enough.”

“You don’t want anything else to go along with it,” Presley said.

At the end of flu season, the final results will be made available to Cape Girardeau County Public Health Department, she said. Those reports are then placed into a database for the State Health Department.

Presley was unable to provide an exact count on the number of flu shots provided because of the large number of additional places offering the shots.

In the past, the shots would be limited to doctors’ offices and the public health department.

“But now you can go to Walmart, Target and pharmacies to get your flu shot,” she said.

Flu prevention

Washing your hands is the main way to prevent the flu virus from spreading, Presley said.

“If you’re sick, stay home,” she said. “If you know someone sick, don’t be around them. Use common sense.”

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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