Flu is expected to spike in state
Season could peak this month, health experts say.
The f lu season is ramping up in California, and public health officials say all signs point to an impending spike in cases.
Data released Friday show that f lu cases are as expected for this time of year. Still, the number of f lu hospitalizations and deaths falls far below what California has experienced in recent years.
As of the end of January, seven Californians younger than 65 had died from the f lu since the start of the season in October. At this time last year, there were 18 f lu deaths, and two years ago, 147.
But experts say that could be because the last two f lu seasons peaked in December, while this one looks as if it might peak this month.
Flu activity in the state
has been mild so far, but there is evidence that an outbreak is coming soon, said Dr. Jose Dryjanski, infectious- disease specialist and Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s co- regional infectious disease lead. This week, more people have been showing up at Kaiser urgent care centers and emergency rooms with f lulike symptoms than went to the centers a few weeks ago, he said.
And California’s f lu season often lags behind that of the rest of the country, since the virus travels east to west, Dryjanski said. Last year, the f lu season peaked nationally in December, but peaked in California in January.
“I think we are going to have a peak in a week or two weeks, and we’re going to see much more inf luenza than what we’ve been seeing up until now,” Dryjanski said.
Helen Macfie, who monitors emergency room visits at Southern California’s six MemorialCare Hospitals, also said that more patients have been showing up at emergency rooms with f lu- like symptoms over the last two weeks. “I think it’s that late- arrival f lu,” she said.
Nationally, numbers of f lu cases are low in most states, but experts from the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that they expect to see more in the coming weeks.
Testing by the CDC shows the most common strains of f lu going around this year are H1N1, H3N2, H1N1 and some B viruses. Researchers found that the strains circulating now match those included in the available vaccine — meaning that this year’s f lu shot is probably providing strong immunity.
Plus, the strains circulating are the same as last year’s, which means that people who were infected last year still have some immunity against the virus so they aren’t falling sick as much, experts say.
As of two weeks ago, 852 people in Los Angeles County tested positive for the f lu, compared with 2,795 people at this time two years ago, county data show. Still, public health officials rec- ommend that everyone older than 6 months old get a f lu shot. It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to begin offering protection.
On Monday, the CDC sent out a warning that there have been severe cases of the f lu in parts of the country, some of which led to deaths. The notice advised doctors to treat high- risk patients immediately, instead of waiting for test results.
Although a common illness, inf luenza can kill and send thousands of people to hospitals each year. Last year, there were 970,000 inf luenza- associated hospitalizations in the United States.
“If you haven’t gotten the f lu vaccine, there’s still time,” Dryjanski said. “It will still protect you.”