Federal public health officials declare the flu is now widespread in 23 states including Idaho
The Idaho State Journal reports that the flu season is off to an unusually fast and severe start across the U.S.
According to the Idaho State Joural, "The Centers for Disease Control on Friday reported that flu activity continues to rise across the country, with an estimated 2.6 million people infected by the flu nationwide and at least 1,300 deaths reported so far this season.
Despite the CDC reporting all regions of the country are seeing an elevated number of flu cases, Idaho public health officials are downplaying the severity of the start of the flu season in Idaho.
“We always send out a news release for our first flu death of the season and last year we did that on Nov. 9,” said Niki Forbing-Orr, a spokesperson for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Now two children have died this year from flu-related illness.
"Though flu cases are tracked nationwide from October to May every year, Forbing-Orr said the virus typically peaks in Idaho between late December and March. Last year, as many as nine East Idaho school districts temporarily closed schools in early February due to rampant flu-like illnesses among students and staff.
Idaho health officials point out that the geographic spread of the flu does not necessarily measure the severity of the virus. While every public health district in Idaho has reported flu cases, resulting in the state’s flu activity being labeled by the CDC as widespread, the number of people who have sought medical treatment for flu-like illnesses was mostly in the minimal range across the state in December according to the Department of Health and Welfare.
"According to Forbing-Orr, Idaho could be in for a late flu season peak or even a mild flu season altogether.
She added, “It’s hard to know what could happen next because viruses are constantly shifting and changing.”
Regionally, Washington state is experiencing the highest possible flu severity level in terms of the number of people seeking treatment for flu-related illnesses, while Oregon, Nevada and Colorado are reporting moderate levels. Montana, Wyoming and Utah, like Idaho, are experiencing a minimal number of people currently seeking medical attention for the flu.
When asked why the flu does not appear to be infecting a large number of Idahoans at present, Forbing-Orr said, “It could be an uptick in the number of people getting a flu shot, or maybe that the strains that are circulating aren’t as particularly dangerous. But viruses can change and people can start getting really sick really fast.”
The fact that there have been flu cases in all of Idaho’s public health districts but the number of people seeking medical attention for the flu is minimal could also indicate that Idahoans experiencing flu-like symptoms aren’t going to the doctor or hospital for treatment, Forbing-Orr said.
“Many people don’t even go to the doctor when they get sick,” Forbing-Orr said.
Idaho was below this baseline in December by more than a full point, with flu-like illnesses only accounting for only 1.12 percent of patient visits throughout the state, according to Department of Health and Welfare data. A majority of the reported flu cases in Idaho are following the national trend in that they are being caused mostly by influenza B/Victoria viruses. These strains tend to hit children particularly hard and have resulted in the deaths of 10 children nationwide during the 2019-20 season.
During the 2018-19 flu season, a total of 58 people died from the flu in Idaho. That followed a 2017-18 season in which the flu killed 101 people statewide, Forbing-Orr said.
In addition to the possibility that more Idahoans are getting flu shots, the apparent small number of state residents infected by the flu so far this season could be a result of more effective vaccines for the strains that are currently circulating, Forbing-Orr said.
“Last year, the flu shots seemed to match really well to the strains that were circulating at the beginning of the season, but then not so well to the strains at the end of the season,” she added. “There seemed to be more deaths at the end of last season than at the beginning.”
A pharmacist at Maag Prescription and Medical Supply in Pocatello, Wesston Faux, has also observed a slow start to the flu season in Idaho.
“Honestly, we have not seen a ton of cases for the flu this year,” Faux said. “We have had a handful of prescriptions for Tamiflu, which they use to treat flu symptoms. That could be because we had a really great year for (flu) shots this year.”
Faux said that Maag pharmacists have provided over 1,500 flu shots so far this season.
The groups most at risk of the flu are older adults, very young children, pregnant women and those with certain chronic medical conditions, according to the CDC. People infected by the flu often experience a fever, chills, coughing, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue, according to the CDC. Some flu victims, especially children, may also experience vomiting and diarrhea. Most people typically make a full recovery from the flu in a few weeks.
Hand-washing, avoiding sick people and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth can help prevent the flu. But the most important step to stop the flu is for everyone 6 months and older to get vaccinated, according to the CDC.
If the flu is already circulating in the area where you live, it is not too late to get vaccinated.
Although the vaccine won’t prevent all cases of the flu, it lessens the severity and duration of symptoms, and those who get the flu after receiving the vaccine are less likely to require hospitalization and less likely to die, Forbing-Orr said.
“We want to stress the idea that getting a flu shot is the best way to protect yourself,” Frobing-Orr said. “It won’t be a perfect protection, but it might make it so the disease is less significant and keep you out of the hospital.”
Forbing-Orr said it’s tough to predict what the flu’s severity will be in Idaho in the coming weeks, but she recommends a decent dose of rest for those who start to feel under the weather.
“It’s hard to know what could happen next because there are so many variables — the weather, how virulent the strain is, who is being exposed and any underlying health conditions,” Forbing-Orr said. “But in Idaho sometimes its remoteness is a good thing. Our recommendation is to get the flu vaccine, but also wash your hands and if you’re feeling unwell don’t go out and about.”
The Idaho State Journal reports that the flu season is off to an unusually fast and severe start across the U.S.
Source: https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/flu-declared-widespread-in-idaho-but-health-officials-downplay-severity/article_fbb4b0ff-989c-51f4-b388-7e96a77b480e.html
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