Flu cases trickling in so far, but officials warn worst is yet to come
FIlE-In this Nov. 18, 2004 file photo, a flu shot is administered in Barre, Vt. Hospitals serving Vermont are split on making flu shots mandatory for employees, with some hoping voluntary efforts will get them to the federal goal of 90 percent of health workers being immunized. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)
A influenza surveillance report for the week ending on Dec. 19 prepared by the Influenza Division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So far the number of people who have been hospitalized due to influenza and norovirus in northern Utah has been lower than in previous years, officials said.
But that could change soon because the influenza or the flu season generally begins to peak between now and the end of February, said Cheryl Andreasen, a nurse with Weber-Morgan Health Department.
“It’s not too late to get flu shots,” Andreasen said. “We have a lot of vaccine still available.”
Andreasen said the department also has flu mist, which is approved for people between the ages of 2 and 49.
Andreasen said it is not too late to get a flu shot but in order to avoid getting sick when influenza peaks, sooner is better than later. As of Dec. 19, only seven people have been hospitalized in Weber County due to influenza.
Ogden Regional Medical Center and McKay-Dee Hospital are not seeing as many people in the emergency room with flu symptoms as compared to other years, spokespeople for both hospitals said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Utah is among 27 states where influenza cases have been “sporadic.”
The Utah Department of Health’s weekly report also indicates that the flu season along the Wasatch Front is not at its peak. Most counties are reporting “minimal” activity when it comes to influenza.
From Oct. 4 to Dec. 19, there have been 68 people statewide who have been hospitalized due to influenza, said Wendy Garcia, division director for communicable disease & epidemiology at Davis County Health Department. In Davis County, five people have been hospitalized for influenza.
Andreasen and Garcia said there have been no cases of norovirus reported to date reported to either health department
Norovirus is different from influenza, Garcia said. Norovirus is a stomach virus, while the flu or influenza is a virus that infects the respiratory system.
Garcia said the H1N1 strain of influenza can cause some nausea and diarrhea, but most influenza cases do not affect the digestive system. Norovirus, which causes diarrhea and vomiting, is highly contagious and is spread usually through contaminated food and water. There is no medication to treat it, and it can take up to three days for a person to recover from it. The number one complication from norovirus is dehydration.
Washing and disinfecting areas where a person has been sick is important to prevent the spread of norovirus within a household, Garcia said.
Washing hands before preparing meals and after going to the restroom is the number one way to prevent the spread of norovirus and influenza, Garcia said.
Video courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from its website.
You can reach reporter Loretta Park at lpark@standard.net or at 801-625-4252. Follow her on Twitter at @LorettaParkSE or like her on Facebook.
