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With at least two flu-related deaths reported in North Carolina in recent weeks, state officials urge the public to get vaccinated before the flu season gets serious.
They hope to avoid a repeat of the last influenza season, when 391 people in North Carolina died, the largest number of flu deaths since the state started following them in 2009.
Nationally, deaths from influenza have also broken records, killing more than 80,000 people. The majority of those who died were over the age of 65, according to estimates from the US Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.
Wake County has already had one influenza-related death, that of Kathy Hartenstine, a 68-year-old Wake County School Board member, who died suddenly last month. Hartenstine's family said his death was due to flu-related complications.
Another influenza-related death, that of an older resident of Buncombe County, was reported this month by the county medical director.
However, NHS Department of Health and Social Services health officials, who monitor deaths from influenza in the state, have not yet confirmed the number of deaths. deaths due to the flu. The agency, which has not started counting flu-related deaths for the 2018-2019 influenza season before September 30, will release its weekly report on hospitalizations and deaths from influenza in any the state on Thursday, and will continue to publish reports on the next eight months of influenza. season.
In North Carolina, the flu season starts on October 1 and ends in May.
The best time to get the flu shot is late October, before the flu begins to spread, because it takes about two weeks after the vaccination for your body to develop antibodies against the disease. Health officials point out, however, that it is better to be vaccinated at any time of the influenza season than not to receive it at all. The flu season usually peaks in January and February.
The CDC recommends influenza vaccination to all people 6 months of age and older, especially those with complications such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease and obesity, who are more susceptible to health complications resulting from an influenza infection.
People have several vaccine options to consider. For those who do not like needlesticks in muscle, the CDC again recommends the nasal spray flu vaccine for people aged 2 to 49 years. The CDC had not recommended the influenza vaccine for several years because the efficacy data were inconclusive, but reversed its position earlier this year. Unlike most influenza vaccines, which are made from dead viral material that can not cause infection, nasal fog is made from live influenza viruses that can cause infection and is not recommended for use in humans. people with certain medical conditions and sensitivities.
There are also two approved vaccines administered without needles. They use a high-pressure injector that penetrates the skin. Both are available for people aged 18 to 64 years old.
The CDC stated that for the conventional vaccine, there was no "preferential recommendation" between cell-culture and egg-culture vaccines, or between a vaccine that protects against three types of influenza viruses and a vaccine that protects against four types of influenza viruses.
It is impossible to predict the severity of an influenza season and it is also impossible to reliably predict which influenza strains will circulate, according to the CDC.
In North Carolina, 290 of last year's flu victims were 65 years of age and older, and seven were minors under 18 years of age. Of those who died, 42% were known to have been vaccinated and 58% were not vaccinated or had no evidence of their flu shot, said DHHS spokesperson Cobey Culton.
One reason so many people died was that the vaccines did not match the dominant strain of influenza and had only 40% effectiveness. But in a good year, the vaccines might be only 50-60% effective, according to the CDC.
Cameron Wolfe, an infectious disease specialist at Duke University's Faculty of Medicine, said that despite the high number of flu-related deaths last year, it is reasonable to conclude that vaccinations have saved many lives.
"I would say that you probably saved more people in a [flu] season, "said Wolfe.
Doctors have been saying for a long time that vaccinated and sick people have a shorter and less severe flu anyway.
"We are optimistic that the match will be better this year," said David Priest, medical director of infection prevention at Novant Health, Winston-Salem's network of 15 hospitals. "The flu is preventable and you should be vaccinated."
In addition to being vaccinated, people can take other precautions against the flu. It is generally recommended to cover your mouth when sneezing and to wash your hands frequently. The flu often spreads through contact, but the virus must land on a mucous membrane, such as an eye, nose or mouth, to begin to replicate and become an infection.
John Murawski: 919-829-8932; @johnmurawski
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