HANGING ON High number of flu cases still reported in Allegheny County

Confirmed cases of the flu in Allegheny County are going down from a peak in January, but the season’s not over, according to Kristen Mertz, medical epidemiologist for the Health Department.

“We still get over 100 reports [of flu cases] a week,” Dr. Mertz said Wednesday.

As of April 1, the number of labconfirmed cases in the county so far in the flu season, charted since Oct. 2, added up to 4,701. In the same week last season, there were 1,993 cases. The milder 2015-16 season at this point also had fewer hospitalizations, 138, compared with 388 in 2016-17. There were four deaths by the same week in 2015-16 compared with nine deaths reported by April 1 this year.

Dr. Mertz said six of the nine deaths were people 80 years of age or older. “We know most of them had underlying illness,” she said. None were children.

“The number of cases reported is an underestimate by far — a lot of people don’t go to the doctor and don’t get tested,” Dr. Mertz said. Typically by the end of March the season is almost over and it does appear to be waning, she said. “I anticipate it will be over soon.”

The type A flu virus, she said, is predominant early in the season and tends to be more severe, hitting elderly people harder. The second virus, type B, accounts for more cases later in the season, is less severe and affects children more, she said.

This year’s numbers are already higher than the total for 2015-16 — 3,147 cases. However, they are not expected to reach the total for the more severe 2014-15 season — 5,214 cases.

The flu vaccine that year wasn’t a good match for the viruses in circulation, Dr. Mertz said.

“This year the overall efficiency is 38 percent, much better than two years ago.”

There was a higher rate of health care workers who received the vaccination this year, she said, although staff in long-term care facilities have lower rates.

“We encourage staff in longterm care facilities to be vaccinated,” she said, adding that people who have contact with elderly people should get the flu vaccine each year. The vaccine itself is less effective in older people.

The advice for those who do get the flu, Dr. Mertz said, is to stay home if they are sick and use good hand hygiene to prevent passing the virus on to others.