Flu cases slowing down, but still around

By Kathy Thomson

Only a few cases of influenza have been seen at the Resource Center or at the school so far this winter, but quite a few patients seen by the medical staff at the Shackelford County Health Clinic have tested positive for influenza, according to administrator Jera Fairley.

“We started seeing quite a few cases of flu back in November,” Fairley said. “Then prior to Christmas, we were seeing 40 to 50 cases a week that tested positive for influenza. It’s slowed down a little now, but we are still seeing some.”

Fairley also said that many of those infected had persistent symptoms.

“We are seeing several people who aren’t getting better, and they have had to come back in,” Fairley said. “We have some, especially among the elderly, who have had to be hospitalized due to shortness of breath and other respiratory issues.”

Contradictorily, at the Resource Center clinic nurse Judy Patterson has only seen one or two cases of flu per week this year.

“However, we have been inundated with upper respiratory infections that seem to be primarily sinus and allergy related,” Patterson said. “We have a lot of patients with a cough, headaches, and congestion, either with or without a fever.”

Albany Independent School District nurse Lisa Russell is hoping that students at the local campuses continue to miss out on those infections.

“The flu numbers have been extremely low at school, almost nonexistent,” she said.  

Local pharmacist Eric Neal said that he has filled prescriptions for Tamiflu as well as for the new FDA approved Xofluza this winter.

He added that he has dispensed more Tamiflu than Xofluza, but requests for both of the virus fighting drugs have slowed down this week.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the single best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated every year.

However, the Shackelford County Health Clinic does not have any more flu vaccine available.

“If you need to get a flu shot, you may need to call around and find out who still has them available,” Fairley said.

Patterson reminded people to stay hydrated, especially if they have any respiratory congestion. 

“You should drink lots of water, and wash your hands,” she said. “The more water you drink, the thinner the mucus is, and the easier it is to get rid of it.”

Parents of local students are reminded that they need to keep sick children at home. 

“We tell students and parents that the child needs to stay home if they are running a fever,” said Russell. “Even if they don’t have a high fever, those with the flu are contagious to others. So if your child doesn’t feel well, keep him home.”

Russell said that if parents do not have a thermometer, they can walk their child to her office, and she will check to see if the child needs to return home.

Students are sent home if they have a temperature of 100 degrees or more, and they must stay home until they have not had a temperature of 100 degrees or greater for at least 24 hours, the nurse added.

“Our best defense, especially in the younger students, is regular hand washing,” Russell said. “We try and get the students to use hand sanitizer before lunch, and we encourage regular hand washing.” 

Parents are encouraged to make sure that their children have water bottles with them at school, so they can stay hydrated with a decreased chance of spreading germs.

Bottle filling stations are less likely to be a source of disease transmission than drinking fountains, and students are urged to use the bottle refilling stations.

The CDC list of recommended precautions to try and reduce the risk of spreading germs includes the following:

•Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

•Stay home when you are sick.

•Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.

•Wash your hands often.

•Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.

•Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at work, home, or school, especially if someone is ill.

•Practice other good health habits including getting plenty of sleep and exercise, reducing stress, drinking plenty of fluids, and eating nutritious food.

Flu Across Texas

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported that as of the latest reporting date, for the week ending on Dec. 28, influenza activity is increasing across the state, with widespread geographic activity across Texas. In addition to flu, other respiratory viruses, especially rhinovirus/enterovirus, were detected.

“Influenza activity is high across the state and is above the Texas-specific ILI baseline,” said the latest report from the state health organization. “Compared to the previous week, the percentage of specimens testing positive for influenza reported by hospital laboratories has increased. The percentage of patient visits due to influenza-like illness (ILI) has increased.”

However, as of Jan. 3, no influenza-associated institutional outbreaks or school closures were reported.

Nationwide Activity

The CDC weekly Summary FluView Report for the week ending Dec. 28 said that seasonal influenza activity in the United States is high and continues to increase.

Texas was included among the 34 states with high levels of flu activity.

Cases that have been typed at public health laboratories in the last week have been predominately Type B (698), and most of those (548) have been the Victoria lineage. 

Type A influenza has also been circulating, with both H1N1 (387) and H3N2 (37) typed.