The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Flu diagnoses rising at higher-than-normal rate
State: Connecticut cases on upswing
With flu cases rising at a rapid rate, some experts said the state — and nation — could be in for a wild season.
“We are seeing a continued increase in activity,” said Alan Siniscalchi, flu surveillance coordinator for the state Department of Public Health. While he said it is not unusual to see a lot of flu cases and hospitalizations in December, the numbers are higher than normal.
“We could be looking at a peak as early as late January, instead of February or March,” Siniscalchi said.
Season picking up
Flu is a contagious respiratory illness that includes such symptoms as fever, body aches, cough, sore throat and runny or stuffy nose. It can range from mild to severe and can lead to death.
Though the latest numbers on the state’s flu cases haven’t been finalized, Siniscalchi said, as of Saturday, more than 400 people had tested positive for the flu, and close to 200 had been hospitalized with the illness. At least three flurelated deaths have been reported this season.
Compare that to last year, when, according to past reports from the state Department of Public Health, by Dec. 24 had seen only 253 positive flu cases had been reported and 112 people hospitalized.
Throughout the state, some doctors at area hospitals have noticed an increase in flu activity.
At Yale New Haven Hospital last week, staff saw three times as many flu cases as they did the week before, said Dr. Richard Martinello, medical director for infection prevention at the hospital.
“So far, what we’re seeing is a significant ramp-up,” he said. “And we’re seeing it a little earlier than usual.”
At Stamford Hospital, Dr. Michael Parry, director of infectious diseases, said he has seen a rise in flu cases, adding the number of people testing positive for the illness last week was double that from the previous week. However, unlike Martinello or Siniscalchi, he said the numbers didn’t seem different from what he had seen in past years. “I’d say it’s about the same as last year,” Parry said.
Meanwhile, a doctor at one area hospital said he still hadn’t seen a big uptick in flu cases.
“We’ve only been seeing sporadic cases,” said Dr. Goran Miljkovic, infectious disease specialist at Bridgeport Hospital.
But he said, “We definitely know it’s widespread in the state.”
The Australia problem
Since flu season officially kicked off in October, experts have worried this could be an especially brutal one, based on what’s been happening in cases in the Southern Hemisphere, which typically gets the flu first. Australia in particular has had a miserable season — its largest since 2009, according to the Australian Department of Health.
On its website, the department reported the robust flu “resulted in a lot of people taking time off work and a significant burden on hospitals, with more than twice the number of people with influenza being admitted than is typical.”
Although Australia had more cases and more hospitalizations and deaths than normal, the department said the infection was “no more serious than in previous seasons.”
One explanation given for the high numbers is this year’s flu vaccine was only minimally effective for influenza A (H3N2), which was the most common virus in circulation.
“The reason for this is twofold. First, the vaccine produces a weaker immune response generally in the elderly,” according to the health department’s web site. “Second, this year the influenza A (H3N2) virus seemed to undergo some change during the year and general vaccine protection was less across the whole community for this strain.”
It’s still unclear what this means for the United States, as the vaccine on this half of the globe is typically based on what’s used in the Southern Hemisphere. Siniscalchi said he doesn’t think the vaccine will be as ineffective against the Northern Hemisphere’s most prevalent flu strains.
But, he said, even in years when the vaccine’s protection factor is low, “we still strongly urge people to get the flu vaccine, as it still will prevent more illness.”
Miljkovic echoed that response.
“It’s recommended to get the vaccine for whatever level of protection you can get,” he said. “Definitely influenza is a very serious illness and it can make you ill for several days.”