GOT YOUR SHOT? FLU SPREADING, CLINICS SAY

Sal Roporto gives a flu shot Tuesday as Dr. Carlos Ramirez-Blessing looks on at an Orlando CentraCare clinic.

Flu season has arrived in Central Florida, and it’s well ahead of schedule, according to Dr. TimHendrix, medical director for CentraCare, which operates 21clinics throughout Central Florida.

The CentraCare clinics saw 250 confirmed cases of the flu last week alone. That’s more than a10-fold increase in flu cases compared with Thanksgiving week last year, when the clinics reported 21confirmed cases, Hendrix said.

Normally, flu season ramps up in January, Hendrix said. But the CentraCare clinics, all owned by Florida Hospital, have been seeing a steady increase since October.

However, Orange County Health Department officials are not reacting with the same alarm. They are designating the current rate for Orange and Lake counties as “moderate” — and only “mild” in other area counties.

“The increase is not unusual for this time of year when more people are traveling and congregating,” said Orange County Health Department spokesman Dain Weister.

Twoweeks ago, the CentraCare clinics reported180 cases, which were as many as in the peak week of the past flu season, which hit in March.

“We’ve already exceeded our highest week,” Hendrix said.

One of the possible reasons for the early season is because the flu never really went away this year.

“We were still seeing five to10 cases a week this summer, when we normally see none — or one at most,” Hendrix said.

Health officials stressed that it is not too late to get a flu shot, andplenty of vaccine is on hand.

Thisyear’sflushotappears to “hit the mark,” said Hendrix, meaningthat the immunization effectively targets the virus that is circulating. The shot takes about two weeks to provide the full protective effect, but those who are vaccinated will receive some benefit within a few days.

Flu symptoms include a high fever, body aches, a runny nose and sometimes a cough.

“It makes you feel miserable for seven days,” Hendrix said.

It is not the same as the stomach flu, which involves vomiting and diarrhea. And, it is much worse than the common cold, which is characterized by a runny nose, sore throat, cough and sometimes a low-grade fever.

Those who experience a fever of 102 to 103 degrees for more than a day should see their doctor about getting a prescription for Tamiflu, an antiviral medication that will shorten the life of the flu virus .

However, patients would need to start the treatment within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, Hendrix said.

Whether the early arrival ofthefluthisyearbodesillfor a bad flu season, Hendrix couldn’t say.

“Flu season is here. That’s all I can say for sure,” he said. “The flu is mysterious. No one can guess. It may peak early and end early, or we may be in for a long, hard, miserable winter.”