The flu season has begun, after record cases last year

CLEVELAND, Ohio – One of the most deadly influenza seasons of the last decades ended in the spring and a new flu season is already here. It's time to get vaccinated now.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 80,000 Americans died of an influenza-related illness during last year's influenza season, the highest number of deaths since that time. at least four decades. In an average year, the United States recorded between 12,000 and 56,000 deaths, the CDC said at a news conference.

Cuyahoga County recorded a record number of hospitalizations, with 2,781 far exceeding the previous record of 1,581 set in the 2014-2015 season. Cuyahoga County recorded 47 deaths from influenza, approaching a record 52 deaths that same season.

The severe flu season of 2017-18 was caused by a strain of flu that tends to cause more hospitalizations and deaths, especially in young children and the elderly. Fatal complications of the flu can include pneumonia, stroke, and heart attacks.

Last season's flu shot was about 40 percent effective, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergic and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. This was not a good match against the mutations of the flu that circulated.

According to experts, there is no way to predict whether the next flu season, which runs from October to spring, will be better or worse.

Flu symptoms include moderate to high fever, dry cough, headache, sore throat, chills, runny nose, loss of appetite, muscle aches and fatigue. Signs that the flu worsens include fever, chills and shortness of breath.

Although the flu vaccine is not 100% effective, doctors still recommend it because it reduces the severity of disease and saves lives. The pharmacies, clinics, county health board and doctors in northeastern Ohio are ready to offer flu shots. (See the companion article for a list of where to get the flu shot.)

At a recent flu clinic at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center at University Circle, volunteers guided veterans to nurses ready to administer the influenza vaccine. About 500 veterans received free flu shots during the two days of the clinic, a spokeswoman said.

James Bowie, a retired 66-year-old Navy Veteran, took advantage of the free flu shot to get physical therapy at the VA Medical Center. For years, Bowie has received an annual flu shot to protect his late mother, who he was taking care of. He decided to keep the habit.

"I've never had the flu, and when I had a cold, it helped me not to go," said Bowie, who lives in Cleveland. "I recommend everyone to have it."

It's important to get the flu shot to protect yourself and those around you who may have a weakened immune system, said Liza Eckstein, a VA nurse and infection prevention specialist.

Eckstein has listed other ways to protect against germs, such as staying away from sick people, coughing in the elbow, using tissue and washing hands before and after meals.

"Every little help," said Eckstein.

People considered at high risk during the influenza season are those under the age of 6, over the age of 65, pregnant women and residents of nursing homes or long-term care facilities. Asthma, neurological diseases, chronic lung diseases, heart disease, blood disorders, endocrine, kidney and liver disorders and the weakening of the immune system are health problems that could complicate the flu.

Every six months or more should be vaccinated every year by the end of October, as it takes two to four weeks for the vaccine to become fully effective.

Science has not cured the cold, but it is getting closer to a universal flu vaccine, able to fight multiple versions of the virus and offering immunity for over a year, making it obsolete the days of the annual flu shot.

The researchers are working on a universal flu vaccine that would be followed by a seasonal vaccine, or boost, to create a better vaccine. Other research focuses on a section of the flu virus that does not mutate from one season to another, making it an ideal target for a universal flu shot.

There is also a new fast-acting drug that seems to shorten the duration of flu symptoms. The FDA is reviewing the drug and a decision is expected soon, according to the STAT Health Online publication.