Continuing influenza season hits hard in Logan County

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[March 09, 2018]  LINCOLN  - This winter has been a rough one for the influenza across the country and in Logan County. According to Mary Anderson with the Logan County Department of Public Health, as of February 20th there have been 367 confirmed cases of Influenza A and 70 cases of Influenza B.

The first case of flu for this season – Influenza A - was diagnosed on November 20, 2017.

Anderson said that there is a strong possibility that deaths have occurred as a result of the flu viruses this year, but those numbers are hard to pin down in Logan County.

When a patient is admitted into the Emergency room at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, lab tests are performed to determine the flu, and those numbers are reported to the local health department.

Anderson said the final outcome of the illness is that the patient needs to be admitted into an Intensive Care Unit. Because there is no ICU at ALMH, patients are transferred to other area hospitals.

Anderson said determining the number of fatalities is difficult because many times pneumonia will develop along with the flu. When death occurs the information is first reported by the hospital of record. In addition, the certificates issued often reflect the cause of death as pneumonia rather than influenza.

The statistics that are available at the moment according to Logan County Department of Public Health Administrator Don Cavi is that this year there have been at least 47 hospitalizations with eight cases resulting in death.

There are currently three identified types of influenza – Influenza A, Influenza B, and Influenza C. Types A and B are the most serious, and have the same symptoms, they are typed A or B because of their difference in their root origin.

Influenza C is the least serious of the three types, and often comes with only minor symptoms or no symptoms at all.

Influenza A and B have serious symptoms that come on quickly including: fever, chills, nonproductive cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle and body aches, headache and body aches.

More common among children this flu may also be accompanied with vomiting and diarrhea. Fever is also a common symptom, but in some cases there is no fever.

The flu symptoms will likely last three to five days, but the cold symptoms and fatigue may last two weeks or more.

To help avoid the flu, LCDPH encourages everyone to follow the rules of germ control, as such not sharing cups or utensils, coughing or sneezing into the elbow instead of the hand and increase handwashing. Washing with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds is highly recommended. An easy way to time yourself in handwashing is to sing the alphabet song.

A-b-c-d-e-f-g
H-i- j-k-lmnop
Q-r-s-t-u-v
W-x-y and z
Now I’ve sang my abc’s
Next time won’t you sing with me?

The best defense against the flu is still going to be getting a flu vaccination. Though reports this year have been that the vaccine doesn’t work, that isn’t exactly the case.

The Center for Disease Control is constantly collecting data on flu occurrences, and calculating which strains of the flu virus are prominent. Vaccines are developed based on data collection and projections of what strains may be dominant in the coming flu season.

While there have been cases of the flu, those flus may well have developed from a strain that was not included in this year’s vaccine formulation.

This makes folks believe that the vaccine didn’t work, or worse yet, that the vaccine gave them the flu.

There are many facts one should learn about the flu vaccine. To that end, the Illinois Department of Public Health publishes a Flu Vaccine fact sheet that is utilized by the local health department. The fact sheets are given out to patients at the LCDPH to help them understand the flu shot and the flu.

Excerpts from the Fact Sheet

Why get vaccinated?

Influenza (“flu”) is a contagious disease that spreads around the United States every year, usually between October and May.

Flu is caused by influenza viruses, and is spread mainly by coughing, sneezing, and close contact.

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Anyone can get flu. Flu strikes suddenly and can last several days. Symptoms vary by age, but can include:

• fever/chills
• sore throat
• muscle aches
• fatigue
• cough
• headache
• runny or stuffy nose

Flu can also lead to pneumonia and blood infections, and cause diarrhea and seizures in children. If you have a medical condition, such as heart or lung disease, flu can make it worse.

Flu is more dangerous for some people. Infants and young children, people 65 years of age and older, pregnant women, and people with certain health conditions or a weakened immune system are at greatest risk.

Each year thousands of people in the United States die from flu, and many more are hospitalized.

Flu vaccine can:
• keep you from getting flu,
• make flu less severe if you do get it, and
• keep you from spreading flu to your family and other people.

Inactivated and recombinant flu vaccines

A dose of flu vaccine is recommended every flu season. Children 6 months through 8 years of age may need two doses during the same flu season. Everyone else needs only one dose each flu season.

Some inactivated flu vaccines contain a very small amount of a mercury-based preservative called thimerosal. Studies have not shown thimerosal in vaccines to be harmful, but flu vaccines that do not contain thimerosal are available.

There is no live flu virus in flu shots. They cannot cause the flu.

There are many flu viruses, and they are always changing. Each year a new flu vaccine is made to protect against three or four viruses that are likely to cause disease in the upcoming flu season. But even when the vaccine doesn’t exactly match these viruses, it may still provide some protection.

The Flu vaccine cannot prevent flu that is caused by a virus not covered by the vaccine, or illnesses that look like flu but are not.

It takes about 2 weeks for protection to develop after vaccination, and protection lasts through the flu season.

Some people should not get this vaccine

Tell the person who is giving you the vaccine:

If you have any severe, life-threatening allergies. If you ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction after a dose of flu vaccine, or have a severe allergy to any part of this vaccine, you may be advised not to get vaccinated. Most, but not all, types of flu vaccine contain a small amount of egg protein.

If you ever had Guillain-Barré Syndrome (also called GBS). Some people with a history of GBS should not get this vaccine. This should be discussed with your doctor.

If you are not feeling well. It is usually okay to get flu vaccine when you have a mild illness, but you might be asked to come back when you feel better.


Finally, while at the moment the best way to receive the flu vaccine is by injection, Anderson said that she has been told that the nasal formulation that was utilized two years ago, then taken off the market, has been refined and will be returning, making for an easy way to receive the vaccine for those who are needle shy.

Attached to this story is the complete fact sheet published by the Illinois Department of Public Health/CDC. To learn more about the flu and the flu vaccine contact your primary care physician, the Logan County Department of Public Health or visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/flu

Vaccine Information Statement Pdf

[Nila Smith]

 

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