Flu on track to hit Western Mass. hardDate: 2/16/2017 GREATER SPRINGFIELD – After some fairly quiet years, the flu has returned with a vengeance for 2017. According to figures provided by Baystate Medical Center, more than 200 people came through their walk-in clinics and emergency department with flu-like symptoms, confirmed as the flu by one of two nasal swab tests, the week of Feb. 3.
That means this annual winter scourge is right on target to hit Western Massachusetts hard this month, according to Mary Ellen Scales, R.N., chief of Infectious Control for Baystate Medical.
“In the past 25 years, in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, February has been the time, traditionally for the flu [to hit]. It just so happens that in the past two years, we didn’t see it in February,” Scales said.
Luckily, she noted this year’s flu vaccine is a “wonderful match” for the most common strains of the virus. According to a report from the Department of Public Health, it’s a “96 percent match for flu A, and a 94 percent match for flu B,” Scales said.
If you haven’t gotten you flu shot yet, Scales said there’s still time, as flu season usually lasts right through the month of March. Do be aware, she added, that it takes two full weeks from inoculation for the body to build up full immunity.
Is it the flu?
Of course, influenza – commonly referred to as the flu – isn’t the only nasty virus that can fell workers and schoolchildren at this time of year, and Scales said it’s even possible to contract another virus at the same time you have the flu. It’s not uncommon for patients to present with “flu and a corona virus, flu and RSV.”
So how can you tell if it’s really the flu, not one of the myriad viruses circulating at this time of year? Scales said the hallmark symptoms are a fever of 100.3 or greater, muscle aches and extreme fatigue. However, someone with other underlying medical conditions such as COPD or diabetes may not exhibit the classic symptoms. And, not everyone realizes they are suffering with the flu right away.
“You can have a healthy person whose immune system is intact, not knocked flat by the flu, go to work” thinking they just have a cold, Scales said. Infected individuals are also “contagious for two days before they show symptoms,” she added.
If you suspect you’ve contracted the flu, Scales said to call your doctor right away.
“None of the strains are showing any resistance to the anti-virals that are given, which is good,” she said. The trick is these anti-virals –Tamiflu is the most common – must be started within the first two days of infection, or they have no effect in shortening the course of the virus.
Don’t pass it on
If you do come down with the flu, Scales said you should follow some-common-sense steps to prevent transmitting it to others.
“Cover your cough with a tissue, and throw it away, wash your hands, or use a hand sanitizer, avoid crowds, don’t go to work sick, and don’t send your kids to school sick,” Scales said.
If someone in your household comes down with the flu, Scales said to follow basic infection-control practices.
“Clean all common surfaces, use over-the-counter hand sanitizer, clean the faucet handles in the bathroom and kitchen, don’t prepare food if you are sick, and don’t empty the dishwasher,” she said. If you don’t have a dishwasher to sanitize the sick person’s dishes and utensils, wash them in hot soapy water, rinse in hot water and let the pieces air-dry in a dish drainer. Other common-sense precautions include not sharing cups and utensils and washing your hands frequently.
Despite everyone’s busy lives, Scales urged keeping these tips in mind in the days ahead, as 2017 promises to be an active flu season.
“We’ve got another six to eight weeks of looking at this,” she said. “And if we have a cold March, it’s better for replicating the virus.”
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