According to Mary Beverly, epidemiologist with the Florida Department of Health Milton, testing done at local hospitals is showing an increase in cases of the flu and flu-like illnesses. The most recent Florida Flu Review from the Department of Health Bureau of Epidemiology indicates Santa Rosa County’s flu activity at present is mild, with most cases being caused by an antigenically drifted strain of Influenza A (H3N2).
According to Debbie Stilphen, Department of Health public information officer, the vaccine being offered at the health department is Quadrivalent Vaccine, which protects against four different strains of flu, two Type A and two Type B. She said, “There's a strain similar to the one making people so sick in the vaccine. So if people get the vaccine they will get some protection.”
She said those who contract this strain, H3N2, will fare better if they get the vaccine than those who do not. The vaccine recipe, Stilphen said, comes from what flues are out there and what flues are circulating. An educated guess, she said, results in the yearly vaccine.
However, Stilphen said, “Everyone should be concerned about the flu. You shouldn't look at novel or drifted strains.” She added people with chronic conditions, like asthma, and compromised immune systems, as with diabetics, are at greater risk as well as the very young and the elderly. In addition to getting an annual flu shot, the Florida Department of Health recommends people:
· Wash hands frequently with soap and warm water or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer, if soap and water are not available.
· Cover coughs and sneezes with a disposable tissue, or sneeze or cough into a sleeve.
· Stay at home if sick, except to see a health care provider, until free of fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications. Children who are sick should be kept home from school or day care.
Contact the department of health on the availability of flu vaccine and immunization clinic hours, by calling 983-5200.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Flu season sees unforeseen strain, same precautions