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Fifty-six laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza have been reported to the Arizona Department of Health Services during the first two weeks of the influenza season in the state, far exceeding the five-year average of 16 cases during this period, officials said.
The current number of confirmed cases also exceeds the 39 reported for the same period last year, a particularly bad season for the state. In fact, the 2017-2018 influenza season was tough, it started early and quickly spread, said Paula Mandel, deputy director of the Pima County Health Department.
"In numbers, more influenza cases have been reported to the health department (in Arizona) than during the pandemic year," said ADSH director, Cara Christ, referring to the 2009-2010 swine flu outbreak.
More than 35,000 cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza have been reported in Arizona during the last influenza season.
"We know that at the Ministry of Health, we are just catching the iceberg," said Christ, because not all people with the flu go to the doctor and all cases do not not the subject of a laboratory test.
At the state level, 1,178 people died of influenza and pneumonia during the 2017-2018 influenza season, well above the average of 400 to 700 people.
Five of the deaths in Arizona were children, including one in Pima County, where more than 4,400 cases of influenza were reported last season.
At the national level, more than 80,000 people died in the last influenza season, according to the CDC. More than 180 children have died and 80% of them have not been vaccinated.
In the last influenza season, only 57.9% of Americans had been vaccinated against influenza, compared with 59% the year before.
Pima County and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all people 6 months and older get vaccinated before the end of October.
And despite the growing number of diseases this season, state health officials and local authorities say they still have to overcome misconceptions about the virus and the vaccine. Here's what you need to know.
It's almost all year
"The flu is much worse than a cold," said Christ of the state. "The flu will cause fever, respiratory symptoms, severe muscle aches and fatigue. You feel like hit by a truck and have a higher probability of secondary infections, especially pneumonia. "
The flu season is almost all year, said Mandel County. However, she added, this may be partly because tests and reports have improved. In the past, people with flu in the summer may have been diagnosed differently.
"It's never too early or too late to get vaccinated," she added. "It's the best protection we have."
The virus particularly strikes people with pre-existing respiratory problems, such as asthma and COPD. This can lead to pneumonia, which can also lead to infection and death. Older people are particularly vulnerable during the flu season, Christ said.
High fever can also cause severe dehydration. "It can push people with chronic diseases to the extreme. This happens whether they are young or old, "said Dr. Kumar Dharmarajan, chief scientific officer of Clover Health, a Medicare Advantage insurer.
"Some people's immune systems are saturated and trigger septic shock. That's how children tend to die, "said Natalie Olendorf, a family nurse at TMCOne.
Doing things like sleeping well, managing stress and eating healthy will keep your immune system strong, said David Salafsky, director of health promotion and prevention services at the University of Arizona.
Still not, everyone will have the vaccine.
According to the Flu Shot Monitor monthly survey of 300 Tucson seniors over age 60 by Clover Health, 69% of Tucson seniors – one of the most vulnerable populations to the virus – will be vaccinated.
This rate is above the national average of 63% – but remains "worrying", as Clover Health officials say.
West Virginia ranks no. 1 to 67.5% and Wisconsin is last with 49.5%. According to this study, the US average is 58.8%.
Lin Baldazo, right, received an influenza vaccine from Lakiya Canty, Associate Director of the El Rio Health Center, on October 18, 2018.
Common error
Many people with misconceptions about the vaccine "do not really know why it is important to receive it," Mandel said.
The most common argument by health officials is that people think that it will make them sick or that they will get sick even if they are vaccinated.
After being vaccinated, your body needs two weeks to train to protect itself from the virus.
If you are exposed to flu germs just before or just after your vaccination, you will still be sick. The CDC recommends that you get vaccinated before the start of the season, early in the fall.
It's also possible that people catch a cold or bronchitis and confuse that with the flu, said Olendorf.
In addition, the influenza vaccine does not contain live virus and therefore can not infect your body, according to health officials. The nasal spray contains a weakened virus that will not make you sick.
However, in rare cases, people have side effects that they confuse with the flu, said Olendorf.
The vaccines are not perfect. For example, last year's vaccine was 40% effective, according to the CDC.
"The problem with the flu is that it is very difficult to predict (the best vaccine formulation) because the virus is circulating, changing and changing, so you never really know what the flu season will look like. and what will be the effectiveness of the vaccine, "said Christ said.
But even if the vaccine does not fit perfectly, it can shorten the duration of the flu, alleviate your symptoms and make you less infectious.
While healthy young people are less at risk and often oppose firing, they can still get sick and die, Olendorf said.
People do not realize how contagious the flu is, Christ said.
Avoid spreading germs by washing your hands frequently, avoiding touching your face, and sneezing into a tissue or elbow. If you get sick, stay home if you can.
Others fear egg allergies, but according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, so little egg protein is used that it is unlikely to provoke a reaction. Nevertheless, people should discuss with their doctor what is best because not all formulations contain eggs.
"We know that the flu can be a killer and can be avoided," said Dharmarajan.
Protect everyone
Oldendorf said that the lower the number of people vaccinated, the more severe the season. "Social responsibility would be to get immunization to protect loved ones and colleagues."
For example, Mandel said, "By vaccinating everyone around a baby (who can not get the vaccine yet), you're also protecting that baby. We hope people are aware that this protects other members of the community. "
Infected people can still expose others until two days before they develop symptoms.
Margo Chavez, 54, a legal assistant with the Public Defense Bureau, was vaccinated on October 18 when the El Rio Community Health Center opened an influenza vaccination center in her building.
She said that she receives one each year because she has grandchildren, that she frequently communicates with the public in her work and that she wants to manage health problems. potential.
Her husband, on the other hand, is not always vaccinated, she said.
"I'm a big man, I do not need it," she teased, lowering her voice, "He'll have one this year," she said.
El Rio said that in the past three weeks, he had administered 1,800 influenza vaccines in similar clinics and that it will continue until early November.
"Last year, we made 1,600 during the month of October, so we're already beyond that," said Stephanie Gorton, Executive Assistant at El Rio.
Clinics providing influenza vaccines to businesses are being advertised by word of mouth, she said. Companies ask El Rio to vaccinate their employees.
But Gorton added, "If anyone else fell on any of these clinics, we would not refuse them."
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