Flu season mild so far in midstate, but worst yet to come

This year's influenza season has been mild with just sporadic cases in the midstate, but health officials say if history is any indicator, the worst is yet to come.

Dr. David Harvey, director of the North Central Health District which covers Bibb, Houston and 11 other counties, said the virus typically begins to really take hold after Christmas and New Years. Part of the reason, he said, is that people with the flu will dodge work and school when they start feeling ill. But when it comes to missing family gatherings, they tend to try to tough it out.

"It probably has a lot of do with the social life," he said of the spike in flu cases that show up after the holiday season.

Although winter months are considered the prime flu season, cold weather itself is not actually thought to cause outbreaks. Harvey said it's more related to spending a lot of time indoors with crowds of people.

The most effective flu prevention, health officials say, is a simple shot.

This year's vaccine is in plentiful supply, and every county health office offers the shots on a walk-in basis. It's free with health insurance, or $25 for those without insurance.

The vaccine is specially designed each year to combat the most common current strains of the virus, so its effectiveness can vary from year to year. Last year, Harvey said, one of the strains that the vaccine protected against mutated, and that hurt its effectiveness. This year the mutated strain is accounted for in the vaccine.

"We expect the vaccine is going to be far more effective this year than it was the last," he said.

Christina Sikes, nurse manager of the Houston County Health Department, said the flu season has been mild so far in Houston.

Businesses, schools and other organizations have been doing a good job promoting the importance of getting the vaccine, she said.

"The community as a whole seems to be working better to protect itself," she said.

Sikes said the most common reason she hears for not getting the shot is the belief that it could give them the flu. She said that's impossible because the shot does not contain the live virus, as some people believe. If people get sick after getting the shot, she said, it's because they were already carrying the virus and the symptoms had not yet shown up.

Nancy White, administrator of the Macon-Bibb County Health Department, attributes the low number of flu cases so far to the recent warm weather. Once the temperature starts dropping, she said, the number of flu cases should start going up.

But not everyone who's sick with wintertime ailments has the flu, as various illnesses can mimic influenza. One key difference between the flu and a cold, she said, is that the flu will also bring on a fever. The flu also hits with a harder punch overall.

"You can function with a cold," she said. "You can't function with the flu."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, influenza cases nationwide in the last week of November increased slightly but remained low overall.

The CDC site said that in the 2014-15 flu season, 43.6 percent of adults and 59.3 percent of children received the flu shot. Each was up about a percentage point from the previous year.

The shot is recommended for all people except infants less than 6 months old.

Local health officials said there are a few things to do to avoid getting or spreading the flu:

Get the flu vaccine.

If you are feeling ill, stay home, even if it means missing Christmas dinner.

Wash your hands regularly, including each time you enter a building. Door knobs are a common way the virus is spread.

If you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth with your arm rather than your hand. If you cough on your hand and have the flu, you are more likely to spread the virus by touching something.

Keep your immune system strong by exercising, eating healthy and getting enough sleep.

To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Flu season mild so far in midstate, but worst yet to come ."