About 21,000 lives have been lost, including 98 children.
This year’s flu season is among the worst in more than a decade, and flu activity is expected to continue for several more weeks.
Here’s what patients and parents need to know if someone gets sick.
How bad is this flu season nationally and in the DC area?
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New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the majority of states are reporting high or very high flu levels. Positivity rates nationally dropped slightly last week.
At Inova Health, flu cases last week doubled the number of cases from this time last year.
“We are now classified as a severe flu season. It hasn’t had this classification for the past 15 years,” said Dr. Meredith Porter, medical director of Inova’s GoHealth urgent care centers.
She said this year’s flu season has hit children especially hard.
Which strain of flu is most common?
The circulating strain is following the national trend, which is influenza A.
“This is the most common strain that we will actually have that causes pandemics, and often it will have the more severe symptoms associated with it,” Porter said.
Where should I go to seek care for the flu?
Inova recently launched an online guide aimed at helping patients and parents navigate where to go to seek care.
“At urgent care, it is the ideal location because you can come on in and get tested right then there in-center, get treatment started within an open access time period,” Porter said.
She cautioned, though, “If you are having those more severe symptoms for either adult or pediatrics, where you're having difficulty with your breathing, you are breathing fast, you are having chest pain or feeling short of breath, these would all be indications that you should immediately go and seek care in the emergency room.”
When do I need to seek treatment for the flu?
Timing is everything, Porter said. For antivirals to be effective, they have to be given within the first couple days of someone getting sick.
Did getting a flu shot help, and are people getting their flu shots?
“The virus that we're seeing is not as effectively covered by the vaccine that was used this year,” Porter said. “However, the most important thing is that vaccination rates across the board are lower than the ideal goal. So, the CDC recommends that we reach a goal of about 70% vaccination rates. And unfortunately this year for both adults and children in the U.S., it's only at about 45%.”
