San Diego Flu Cases Reach New High This Season

State and local health officials say a Pitt County child has died from the flu, and that an existing health condition might have contributed to the child’s death. Flu vaccines are combination vaccines, protecting against three and sometimes four different flu strains.

People most at risk to contract the flu are those with weakened immune systems, including children and the elderly. Nasal spray vaccine is not recommended for this flu season because of concerns about its effectiveness.

The public health manager in Sioux Falls says the number of flu cases is increasing in the city, and it’s expected to keep spreading at a steady increase. “It is not too late to vaccinate”. Denton County officials said the county does not track the school absenteeism rate. Absences are up from a year ago by one percent in Pitt County, according to Dr. Travis Lewis, Director of Community and Student Services for PCPS.

Carter County Health Department – (423) 543-2521 – 403 East G Street, Elizabethton, TN; Open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Hope Middle School had the highest reported number of absences, exceeding 10 percent at one point during the previous two-week period before declining a bit, according to Lisa Jackson, school statistician.

There have been 33,000 flu cases confirmed in Pennsylvania so far, with just over 7,000 in New Jersey, and nearly 900 in Delaware. Make sure you stay home if you have flu-like symptoms or if you have a fever.

One piece of bright news within the CDC report was word the anti-viral medication that can be used to reduce the severity of a flu case remains effective against this winter’s dominant strains. This virus poses “special challenges”, they said, because it undergoes more frequent and extensive genetic changes than either the H1N1 A or influenza B strains. “If you live in the household or take care of somebody who’s at risk for severe influenza, I think that’s a strong reason for those people to get the vaccine, because they can protect their loved ones who are at higher risk of complications”.

The latest deaths were reported in Bryan County, Canadian County, Grant County, Kay County, and Tulsa County.

Meanwhile, it was found to be less effective in children between the ages of 9 to 17 years old (32 percent effective), those 18 to 49 (19 percent effective) and those over the age of 65 (46 percent effective).