Flu viruses on the rise

Flu season in OH generally lasts from October to May.

About 1,992 people have been hospitalized this season in 10 states that report data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

If you haven’t gotten your flu shot, now is probably the best time. Antibiotics are not effective against the flu.

This year a total of three southeast Idaho residents have died from influenza-related illnesses.

You have medical conditions and develop flu symptoms. The majority of those people are 64 years of age or older.

Flu season typically runs from October to the end of April. The percentage of positive influenza tests broke 20 percent in early November, where as in the past few years that didn’t happen until about a month later.

The best way to prevent the flu? “Our season doesn’t usually hit until February”. To find a flu vaccine at a location near you, visit the Vaccine Finder.

It is easy, according to Coe, for elderly individuals who get the flu to have the virus develop into pneumonia.

The flu season appears to be stronger this year, she said. You can take additional steps to ward off the flu by coughing or sneezing into a tissue or your elbow and avoiding touching your face. Most people recover in several days to less than two weeks. “That speaks to the more virulent strain we’re dealing with”.

People coming down with the sickness has put a strain on local emergency departments, a release from Clark County Public Health stated.

So who is most at risk? “Nobody likes the idea of a needle, but anything we can do to help keep the flu from getting a foothold helps”. For the 2016-17 flu season the vaccines are meant to protect against H1N1, H3N2, and the B/Victoria lineage. So think of those around you.

Of the seriously affected states, Kentucky has seen a staggering increase in cases since the start of 2017. “Use hand sanitizer and other things that sterilize your hands”, Bloxham said.

Tiny droplets that spread when people with the flu sneeze, cough or even just talk can also spread to people as far away as six feet.