Area schools are reporting student absences due to influenza
and influenza-like illnesses and stomach bugs such as gastroenteritis and
noroviruses, aka “stomach flu.”
We’re not alone in this. Iowa Department of Public Health is
reporting an increase in influenza and influenza-like illnesses in the past
week. As we are coming into the last two weeks of the holiday season, this will
likely increase even more. From shopping malls, to parties, to airports, and
family gatherings, these bugs will invariably be passed from person to person.
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| Need a flu shot? Call your healthcare provider or Grinnell Regional Public Health 641-236-2385. |
Seasonal influenza is a respiratory illness caused by a
virus. It comes on suddenly and symptoms may include fever, headache,
tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and body aches. It often runs
its course in a week or less, but it can take some time to recover back to 100
percent. Influenza is nothing to mess around with, particularly for those with
special health concerns and our most vulnerable – infants and senior adults.
The good news is that it’s not too late to receive your
immunization for seasonal influenza. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) urges everyone
over 6 months of age to receive seasonal influenza vaccine annually.
The bad news is that there is no vaccine for what we
typically call “stomach flu.” Diarrhea and vomiting are the hallmark symptoms
of gastroenteritis and norovirus.
Reports from the CDC are saying that this could be an
especially difficult influenza season. They state that historically when
influenza A strains are more predominant, it tends to be a more severe flu
season with increased hospitalizations and deaths.
The Iowa Department of Public Health says that the three leading
strains being seen in the state are Influenza A (H3N2), A(H1N1), and B. All
three of these flu strains are covered by this year’s vaccine - A(H3N2),
A(H1N1) and B, although some of the A(H3N2) viruses may only be partially
covered in the vaccine. The other factor that could complicate an already
potentially difficult flu season is that the CDC reports less than 40 percent
of adults have received a flu shot and only 42 percent of children have had an
immunization against seasonal flu nationally.
Need a flu shot? Check with your primary care provider or call
Grinnell Regional Public Health at 641-236-2385 to make an appointment.
Remember: Cover your coughs and sneezes - Clean your hands
frequently - Contain germs by staying home when ill.
http://www.idph.state.ia.us/IdphNews/Reader.aspx?id=106B2C3B-A162-4558-A341-C2FA0AEE21DD
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=185633
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