Escambia Flu Season Hits Peak

March 13, 2009

Sacred Heart Hospital says that this year’s flu season appears to have peaked in Escambia County. The hospital continues to see an elevated number of patients with influenza or the flu.

The number of patients with flu-like symptoms being tested for influenza has spiked noticeably, up to 481 at its highest point during the week of February 15. For the week ending March 7, the number of patients with flu-like symptoms was still at a high level — 431.

The most recent test results show that 23 percent of the patients tested were positive for the influenza virus.

“That is a high number of flu cases in one week,” says Donna Mayne, Microbiology Lab Manager at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. “Flu activity is still strong in our area with an unusually high number of influenza B cases,” she said.

Influenza is caused by very contagious viruses, which infect the nose, throat and lungs and cause symptoms such as fever, chills, dry cough, muscle aches, extreme fatigue, sore throat, headache and nasal congestion. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can sometimes accompany the flu as well, although these are not the primary symptoms of the flu. What people may call the “stomach flu” is actually gastroenteritis. A person can spread the flu as early as one day before he or she even feels sick, and can continue to pass the flu virus to others for several days after symptoms start.

If you seek treatment soon after your flu-like symptoms begin, your doctor can prescribe a medication that has been effective in lessening the severity and duration of the illness. “These anti-viral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza, are only effective within the first 24-to-48 hours of the onset of symptoms,” explains Dr. Michelle Brandhorst, family medicine physician with Sacred Heart Medical Group. “This medical treatment is effective only against influenza viruses, and they will not help the symptoms associated with the common cold or many other flu-like viruses,” she said.

If you or a loved-one develop flu-like symptoms, the hospital says you should visit your family medical doctor as soon as possible.

How should you care for someone with the flu?
As the illness runs its course, follow these self-care tips:
• stay in bed and drink plenty of fluids
• breathing in hot vapors from a shower may help you feel better
• elevate your head at night to help nasal passages drain
• blow your nose to clear any congestion, but do it gently and blow both nostrils at the same time
• use over-the-counter medications for specific symptoms: decongestants can relieve congestion and shrink swelling in your nose and sinuses, antihistamines can stop sneezing and itching and analgesics can relieve pain.

How can you prevent the flu?
To avoid becoming a number on the flu-season chart, keep prevention top-of-mind. Wash your hands thoroughly and often. Avoid sharing utensils for eating and drinking with others (especially if someone is ill). Avoid picking up used tissues, but if you must, wash your hands immediately. Avoid crowds during a flu epidemic. Cover your cough: Grab a tissue and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing – this helps prevent germs from becoming airborne.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News