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CDC: Flu widespread, intense

Examiner-Enterprise - 1/15/2018

Jan. 15--Flu activity in the United States is widespread and intense, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald said Friday.

Fitzgerald and Dr. Dan Jernigan, director of the influenza division in the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, provided a summary of this year's flu season and answered reporter questions during a conference call on Friday.

Influenza A, H3N2, has been the most prevalent form of influenza in the U.S. this season, Fitzgerald said. It is common to have a more active flu season with more hospitalizations when an H3 virus is predominant.

"While our surveillance systems show that nationally the flu season may be peaking now, we know from past experience that it will take many months for flu activity to truly slow down," she said.

Everyday good health habits, she said, like covering your mouth when you cough, frequently washing your hands, limiting contact with others who might be sick and staying home if you are sick will help slow the spread of flu.

"We also continue to recommend the flu vaccine. While our flu vaccines are far from perfect, they are the best way to prevent getting sick from flu, and it's not to late to get one," she said.

As of last month, flu vaccine manufacturers had shipped 151 million doses. The vaccine should be readily available, she said.

Jernigan said the flu season will run another 11 to 13 weeks, which is another good reason to get the flu vaccine if you haven't already.

"We are seeing H1N1, which is one of the other influenza viruses, starting to show up in states that already of H3 activity, so it's possible we may have a pretty robust season, not just with H3, but with others as well, and therefore, a good reason to go ahead and get vaccinated if you have not," Jernigan said.

Jernigan said H3N2 flu seasons also are associated with vaccine effectiveness that is lower than what the CDC usually sees against H1N1 and influenza B viruses. The preliminary effectiveness data will not be available until mid-February.

"Our information so far suggests the vaccine effectiveness against the predominant H3 viruses will probably be around what we saw in the 2016-2017 season, which was in the 30 percent range. While this is better than the 10 percent that has been reported from Australia in one study, it still leaves a lot to be desired, and we're very well aware we need to have better flu vaccines," Jernigan said.

In Oklahoma, the Department of Health indicated a total of 22 deaths and more than 1,000 hospitalizations have been reported since the flu season started in September. More than half of the hospitalizations have occurred among individuals age 50 and older.

According to the OK Fluview weekly activity summary, the number of hospitalizations between Jan. 3 and 9 was 231.

According to a press release, it's important to see a healthcare provider as soon as someone starts experiencing flu-like symptoms. Symptoms of the flu include cough, fever, chills, headache, body aches and fatigue.

A healthcare provider may prescribe antiviral drugs to treat the flu. Those drugs work better when started within 48 hours of noticing symptoms, according to the press release.

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(c)2018 the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise (Bartlesville, Okla.)

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