Region among hardest-hit by a flu outbreak

For those wondering whether this flu season truly is worse than past recent ones, the answer is yes.

A recent Gallup poll shows December was one of the worst flu months since the polling organization began tracking such data in 2008. The data show 4 percent of Americans reported they had the flu on any given day in December.

While communities across the nation likely have been feeling the effects of flu season, Cape Girardeau seems to be among those hit especially hard. Walgreens prepares a weekly flu index that determines which populations are experiencing the highest incidence of flu, determined by compiling weekly retail prescription data for medications used to treat influenza at Walgreens locations nationwide.

For this week, Walgreens ranked the Paducah, Kentucky, Cape Girardeau and Harrisburg, Illinois, area second on its top 10 list of areas experiencing flu activity.

Saint Francis Medical Center saw its first positive influenza case Nov. 21. Since then officials have seen 279 positive flu cases and admitted 25 patients. Those numbers are just for the emergency room, said spokeswoman Emily Blattel, with clinics likely seeing even more cases.

Stephanie Rogers, director of marketing and wellness for Broadway Prescription Shop, said the pharmacy is "definitely seeing more patients suffering from flu this year." As a result, it's had to stock more antiviral medications to keep up with demand.

"To put it into perspective, in the past month, we've filled 108 Tamiflu prescriptions," she wrote in an email. "In the same time period last year, we filled just five."

While many prescriptions are for those who have tested positive for flu, Rogers said health-care providers also write prescriptions for medications such as Tamiflu, an antiviral, to help

protect patients who are more at risk.

But local health officials expect the number of people exhibiting flulike symptoms and testing positive for the flu isn't likely to decrease anytime soon.

"Right now, we're in the peak of flu season," said Dr. Adekunle Obisesan, an adult-hospitalist at

SoutheastHEALTH. "We expect to continue to see some spread."

Southeast is seeing higher numbers of adults with the flu and flulike symptoms, he said. Many patients, especially those more severely affected, are elderly, Obisesan added.

Dr. David Boardman, a family physician at Regional Primary Care in Cape Girardeau, also said he's seen several elderly people hospitalized this season. Children and the chronically ill are similarly among populations more vulnerable to the flu.

Many of the patients seen at Southeast received flu shots, Obisesan said. It's been less effective this season because the vaccine doesn't match with the flu strain seen most commonly in recent months: Type A H3N2.

Current flu vaccines are built to protect against three or four kinds of flu viruses, and ingredients are selected early in the year, based on predictions of what strains will circulate the following winter, according to The Associated Press.

Rogers said Broadway Prescription Shop has administered almost 1,500 flu vaccines this season. She said many people come in for vaccinations from late September to mid-November because health officials recommend getting it early.

"We have vaccinated slightly more patients this time of year, though, than usual because of the concern of high flu activity," Rogers said in an email. "However, we've heard a lot of people say they're not going to get the vaccine because it 'isn't effective this season.'"

She pointed out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends getting the vaccine because it can provide some protection. While it has been less effective against influenza A cases, it seems to be effective against Type B strains, Boardman said.

For those who believe they may have the flu, health officials said it's important to seek medical attention quickly. Boardman said those with flulike symptoms -- including fever, chills, fatigue and respiratory problems -- should seek medical attention sooner than later for treatments to work more efficiently.

"Tamiflu is really only effective within the first 48 hours," he said.

To avoid an experience with the flu, Boardman and Obisesan stressed frequent hand-washing or use of hand sanitizer. Boardman said he's even seen patients come in wearing protective masks "so they don't catch anything."

Both health officials also encourage those with influenza to stay home rather than attend work or school and expose others to the disease.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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Cape Girardeau, Mo.