Nationally, seasonal influenza activity remains elevated and continues to increase across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Flu cases at a high
“We are at about a 15-year high for cases. It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen this high level of activity,” Colon said.
There’s no one thing that’s driving this uptick, Colon said. Causes include a strong, symptomatic influenza virus and a slight decline in uptake of the flu vaccine. About 50% of kids in Ohio were vaccinated during the last flu season, but that dropped to 45% this season, he said.
There were 1,965 flu-related hospitalizations across Ohio in the most recent week of data, according to ODH, which was a 42.8% increase over the previous week.
That’s up nearly 345.6% increase over the five-year average of 441.
There were 246 flu-related hospitalizations in west central Ohio, which includes Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Clark, Darke, Champaign, Shelby and Preble counties. Butler and Warren counties are in the southwest Ohio region, which saw 301 hospitalizations in the most recent week of data.
Since the start of the flu season, Clark County has had 106 hospitalizations, Montgomery County has had 420, Greene County has had 121 and Butler County has had 138, according to ODH. As a whole, the state has reported 6,616 flu-related hospitalizations.
Of recent outpatient visits in Ohio, 13.4% are related to flu-like symptoms, ODH says. Flu-like illnesses account for 3.81% of emergency room visits, and 19.6% of emergency room visits are for symptoms such as fever, fatigue, aches, depression and chills.
It’s not uncommon for the flu season to have more than one peak in cases, Colon said. The five-year average also only saw one peak in the flu in the first week of January.
Avoid overwhelming ERs if symptoms are mild
In the Dayton and Springfield region, there are about 23.3% of beds available in hospital ICUs and 25.1% of beds available for all inpatient stays, according to ODH. A similar trend is being seen in Butler County’s region.
Hospitals have been dealing with fluctuating patient loads since COVID, Colon said, which can lead to the hospital having to adapt operational work flows.
“When we get busier, we know that there are longer wait times. That’s part of the reason why we want to ensure that patients do not rush into some of those acute facilities for mild symptoms, for diagnosis only,” Colon said.
Mild symptoms can usually be managed through an outpatient setting, he said, as well as with fluids, over-the-counter medications, and for some individuals, antiviral medications.
Those with severe symptoms, like unusual shortness of breath, a persistent fever that doesn’t go down even with fever-reducing medication, an inability to keep fluids down, and/or lethargy or difficulty with consciousness or staying alert should seek emergency care.
Protect yourself and others from the flu
To protect yourself from getting or spreading the flu, the Clark County Combined Health District recommends:
- Take time to get a flu vaccine. It is not too late to get your flu shot.
- Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every season, especially people at higher risk.
- Take everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- If you are sick, stay home and limit contact with others as much as possible.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
- Cover coughs and sneezes.
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wearing a mask.
- When worn by a person with an infection, masks reduce the spread of the virus to others. Masks can also protect wearers from breathing in infectious particles from people around them.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water.
- If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
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