Portland, Ore. – Influenza cases are surging around the country and in Oregon. According to the latest available data from the Oregon Health Authority, almost 16% of the state’s flu tests came back positive, during the week of Christmas; up from just 11% the previous week. There were also 31 flu-related hospitalizations, last week, in the Portland-metro area, the only region in which the state tracks hospitalizations. The week of December 14, the OHA reported just seven hospitalizations.
The OHA also reports requests for flu shots this season are down slightly. “The elderly are definitely more likely to become severely ill or be hospitalized, but younger kids have the same risk,” says Kaiser Permanente Pediatrician Dr. Lisa Denike, “Vaccination really can prevent those serious side effects of influenza infection.”
Dr. Denike admits it can be tough to tell the difference between the early stage of the flu and a cold, but a high fever is often the first sign, “Last year, we saw kids who were unvaccinated have fevers for almost seven days, which is a really long time to have a high fever.” She adds, “Body aches are another hallmark of influenza. So, aching in your arms or legs, headaches, just really feeling rundown. Whereas more of the common cold viruses cause maybe a sniffle, runny nose, some congestion.” But treatments are available, “If you do have an exposure to influenza in your household in a young child, within that first 24-48 hours, it is possible to use an anti-viral like Tamiflu that can help prevent a child from getting more ill.”…