The most recent report from the Iowa Department of Public Health indicates moderate and widespread flu activity in the state.
“The CDC and Iowa Public Health are projecting it’s going to be a very heavy-hitting influenza season,” Desiree Callison, infection prevention nurse at Greater Regional Medical Center said.
“We’re seeing more hospitalizations this year than we’ve seen in the previous two years,” said Deputy State Epidemiologist Dr. Ann Garvey. “Right now, we’re about the same as we saw in the 2014-2015 flu season. However, we don’t know how activity will progress for the next several weeks. We may continue to see a steep increase. We may see more activity than we saw in the 2014-2015 season. It’s impossible to predict.”
“We’re just hitting the tip of the iceberg right now,” Callison said. “We’re seeing some counties around us starting to having a high influx, so it’ll come to us shortly.”
Iowa Public Health reports there have been six influenza related deaths since October. However, Callison says, in general what people will experience is dehydration and severe fatigue and weakness.
“No one is protected from influenza. People every year are hospitalized here in Union County for influenza,” Callison said. “Most of the people who are hospitalized are going to be your elderly or your very young, immuno-compromised, cancer patients, dialysis patients; anyone who has a low immune system.”
The flu is a virus spread by air born droplets and Callison recommends coughing into your elbow to prevent the droplets from spreading through the open air.
“Most people are the most contagious between three and five days, but you are technically contagious from day one to day seven,” Callison said. “You can be contagious up to two days before you exhibit symptoms.”
“The influenza vaccine is recommended for, basically, everyone over 6 months of age, so if you haven’t gotten vaccinated, there is still time. We expect that flu activity will continue for a number of weeks, so get out and get vaccinated if you haven’t yet,” Garvey said.
Getting the flu shot may not completely prevent the flu for some people, but it can decrease the amount of time a person is sick.
“You can have influenza up to 14 days if you don’t have the shot, or don’t have any prevention,” Callison said. “The flu vaccine can potentially reduce that down to just a few days.”
“The other important thing is making sure everyone is staying home when they’re sick,” Garvey said. “And then covering coughs and sneezes, and washing hands frequently will also cut down on transmission.”
“The biggest thing that people can do to prevent [influenza] is wash their hands, stay home when they’re sick,” Callison said. “You can get this anywhere. You can this at the store. You can get it by walking by somebody. There’s no way to prevent it 100 percent, but if you are sick, you need to stay home. Make sure you’re washing your hands. Make sure your children are washing their hands. Don’t send them to daycare if they’re sick.”
“There is also anti-virals,” Garvey said. “So if you are sick, we would recommend that you reach out to your health care provider early because there are prescriptions that they can give you that will potentially decrease the length of your illness and decrease your risk for severe infections.”
Influenza patients are isolated in the hospital away from the rest of the patients because of the potential for spreading the illness.They will have bags with disposable masks and gowns on their doors, and Callison strongly requests that visitors wear them. She also recommends people wear masks out in public if they have a cough but don’t know if it’s because of the flu.
“You are putting everyone at risk when you come and don’t actually wear [the mask and gown],” Callison said. “You might be walking by a new mom who had a baby two days ago, or one of our cancer patients. So we need people to be aware of that.”