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According to the latest data from the Department of Health, six cases of influenza have been reported in North Dakota.
Baber said that one of the cases came from a person on a plane held at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on September 5th. An Emirates plane landed at the airport at the Associated Press.
Baber said there was only one person from "North Dakota" who was on the plane and tested positive for the flu. The other five cases reported so far were local in North Dakota.
Six cases at this time of year are "normal start-up seasons," which usually begin with a handful of cases each week in September or October, Baber said. No epidemics have yet been reported in North Dakota. The flu season starts in October and ends in May.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has described the 2017-2018 influenza season as a "very severe season," which means high rates of hospitalizations for influenza-like illness and "high level of activity that is geographically widespread for an extended period of time. ". Last season, there were 180 deaths due to the flu.
The flu is unpredictable, and Baber said that she did not know exactly what the coming season was going to have.
"We hope it's not as bad as last season," she said.
Health care facilities are providing flu vaccine, recommended for all people 6 months of age and older.
Abbi Berg, head of the immunization program for children in the vaccination program of the North Dakota Department of Health, said some pharmacists and health care providers are currently offering the influenza vaccine.
The CDC recommends that everyone be vaccinated against the flu before the end of October, before influenza activity increases. However, Berg said that people can still be vaccinated after this period and "well in early spring" when influenza activity resumes.
"If you have not received a flu shot, it's never too late," she said.
Although the injectable vaccine is preferred, federal health authorities have approved the use of a nasal spray flu vaccine this season.
Berg said the nasal spray, called FluMist, had already been approved, but the recommendation was withdrawn two years ago when the CDC's Vaccine Advisory Committee received data questioning the effectiveness of the spray nasal against the H1N1 strand. The nasal spray may be available in "limited quantities" throughout the state, Berg said.
For more information, visit ndflu.com.
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