Health Officials Report the Flu Season is Hitting Ohio Hard

You may have heard that the flu that’s doing the most damage this year is an H3N2 strain, and that it is less vulnerable to the vaccine. Pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions are also at higher risk.

Medical providers reported lab-confirmed cases along with elevated influenza-like illness (ILI) or reported ILI outbreaks in five or more of the eight Public Health Districts (PHD), according to the ADPH. Medical assistant Ingrid Rios gives a flu shot to Mario Pineda at Torrance Memorial Primary Care Center in Torrance. As of the last week of December, 2,104 people have required hospital treatment in OH, compared with only 369 by early January 2017. The agency said that almost 2,500 people have been hospitalized for flu-related symptoms and that 13 children have died of the virus in the current season, which started in October. The severity is up.

The best means to do so, of course, is through the simple and painless flu vaccine. “They may spread when people touch something with flu viruses on it and then touch their mouth, eyes or nose”. Her pharmacist told her all of the drugstores’ supplies in the area had been depleted. Public health officials said that concern has also been expressed among staff at some skilled nursing facilities.

The free vaccine for uninsured residents is available at Sedgwick County’s Division of Health main clinic, located at 2716 W. Central in Wichita.

“Usually starts in September, lasts til about January or February”, said Bryan County Health Department spokesperson Lisa Maynard. People not staying home when they need to the most.

Hospitals in California are particularly overwhelmed, with some Southern California pharmacies running out of flu medication.

Although vaccines are the best method of protection, they are not 100 percent effective, according to Virginia Department of Health officials. The virus generally causes mild, cold-like symptoms in adults and healthy older children but can be more serious in babies, especially those in certain high-risk groups.

Dr. Nettland said it’s important to recognize the symptoms of the flu early on; these include a fast onset of severe aches, fever, and sore throat. More than 1,000 hospitalizations have been reported, and at least 34 people have died, the report says. The number of Iowans visiting doctors’ offices with flu-like illnesses last week was higher than at last season’s peak. “The truth is we can’t predict”.