Flu cases are overwhelming hospitals around the country and particularly in New York. The Centers for Disease Control reported spikes in 32 states over the last week of December, and doctors expect the numbers will grow further as students return to classrooms sharing viral loads.
In New York alone, 1085 cases were reported during the last week, that’s five times as many flu cases as California, according to CDC reports.
At St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse the number of cases hit a record high early, but the hospital’s expert suspects the reason New York is seeing a disproportionate number of cases is two-fold.
“New York State does a great job of collecting public health information. So, any positive flu test is reportable,” said St. Joe’s Infectious Disease Director Kassandra Foley. That includes flu tests taken at “a laboratory, or a hospital, nursing homes, or doctor's offices. We also, in certain counties in the state, report flu hospitalizations and New York State's Departments of Epidemiology.”
The second component she reminded is that while Influenza A is not uncommon, the recent strain is.
“This is subclade K,” she stressed, which means, “there isn't a high level of immunity in the community. So, when we see a population of people who don't have any immunity to a particular strain of a virus, that is to the virus's advantage, and it helps to really increase transmission among the public.”
Children and elderly people are the flu’s favorite target, but this time to a greater degree. “A large proportion of children, and not just infants, but even in that kind of next age group up are vulnerable,” Foley noted.
While reluctant to comment on the U.S. Health Secretary’s decision to pull flu vaccines from longstanding child immunization recommendations this week, Foley did state that the risks for everyone are greater this flu season.
“It's important to look at the risk for each individual person. And if you're not someone who, you know, usually is as concerned, you may want to be concerned this time around because it is a harsher season,” she warned.
Foley assured that it’s not too late to get a flu shot and explained that while the current vaccine is not a direct match to the subclade K, it can reduce its severity and increase the body’s ability to recover. It takes two weeks for the vaccine to reach full efficacy. In the meantime, she suggested residents wash hands frequently, stay home if a fever appears, and if symptomatic, wear a mask to prevent spreading the virus.
