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 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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