Flu on the rise: Not too late to get the shot

Influenza is on the rise in Georgia and across the country. It’s time to take warning. The Georgia Department of Public Health in its latest report said there had been nearly 500 hospitalizations due to the flu, four flu-related deaths and one death directly attributed to influenza.

At the same time, the Centers for Disease Control reported the flu was geographically widespread in 46 states and Puerto Rico, an increase of three states within a week. What the CDC termed “high-intensity flu activity, another measure of clinic visits for flu,” was reported in 28 states and New York City, reflecting an increase of five states over the previous week, which amounted to a 22 percent jump in only one week.

The spread of the flu locally is reflected by an increasing number of patients in the emergency room at Floyd Medical Center as well as Floyd Primary Care and Floyd Urgent Care. There already have been school closings in Walker and Dade counties because of the flu, strep and norovirus, according to Logan Boss, spokesman for the Northwest Georgia Public Health District.

This year’s H3N2 strain of the flu virus is usually longer lasting and harder hitting than the H1N1 strain that was dominant last season. After spiking in late December, flu-like illnesses declined slightly in January but have been moving upward since, reaching their highest level in Georgia by mid-February up to that point. As Logan Boss observed, “It could be the peak or there could be more to come.”

The best course of action is to get a flu shot. That’s true even though this year’s vaccines — which were developed for the current flu strain — don’t work as well as might be expected because the current flu strain is a tough one.

Of course, there are other common sense things that can be done to avoid exposure to the flu. The health district’s Boss recommends such steps as avoiding close contact with sick people, washing hands often, covering coughs and sneezes and disinfecting surfaces that could be contaminated with the virus.

To reiterate: the best option is to get a flu shot — right away.

IMike Lester, Washington Post Writers Group