U.S Flu Levels Very High & Surging!
Our office has been hit by Flu and other respiratory illness & across the U.S. So, it’s time to review some important facts. The CDC’s U.S. Surveillance Report for the week ending January 25, 2025 revealed alarming data. As an update, since this post was originally written, the CDC’s U.S. Surveillance Report for the week ending February 1, 2025, reveals the Flu has worsened. It is surging ahead!
- There was an 31.6% increase in cases positive for Flu across the country (Prior week = 29.4%).
- There was an increase of respiratory illness by 7.8% (prior week = 6.9% increase).
- 45 states were categorized as having High or Very High Flu levels (prior week = 44).
- There was an upward trend of an additional 48,661 patient hospitalizations due to Flu for that week alone (prior week = 38,255)!
- Sadly, there were an additional 10 child deaths that week alone due to Flu (prior week = 16)!
- This makes the running total 57 child deaths due to Flu this season thus far.
Flu Symptoms
- Fever and chills
- Nasal congestion
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Body aches
- Fatigue
- Nausea and vomiting
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Prevention
- Handwashing is important as always. As humans, we’re always touching our face, nose, mouth, etc. If we keep our hands clean, this can help minimize catching and spreading the Flu.
- Avoid sick people. This may sound simple. However, you’d be amazed at how many people will say they just have a cold. Or they are “over it.” The simplest thing to do is stay away from anyone with the sniffles or a cough. They may indeed have “just a cold.” They may also not be aware that they have a mild case of the Flu. And one person’s mild Flu can be another person’s Flu with a pneumonia or worse.
- Get the Flu Vaccine. It’s especially important to get the vaccine when Flu levels are high! These are available at your doctors’ offices, urgent care clinics, and pharmacies everywhere. Babies as young as 6 months old can be vaccinated. Pregnant women can be vaccinated. It protects their baby as well. Anyone caring for your child, including grandparents can be vaccinated. While it is true that the Flu vaccine does not prevent the Flu 100%, it is also true that it prevents severity and hospitalization. In my experience as a Pediatrician, those children and adults who received the Flu vaccine and became ill with the Flu, had milder cases of the Flu. And it prevented severity, hospitalization, and secondary bacterial infections, such as ear infections, sinusitis, hospitalizations, and death.
Treatment
Tamiflu is an anti-viral specifically against the Flu. If you test positive for Flu, treatment with Tamiflu helps, IF taken within the first 48 hours of your illness. Tamiflu also is available in liquid form with weight-based dosage for children as well.
What’s Next?
Stay tuned the nest blog post, “Autism & Genetic Testing: Why & When?” Don’t forget to check out the video for more in-depth information on today’s topic! Watch the full video on my YouTube channel!
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