Colder weather seems to have brought the flu along with it. Influenza has hit Southwest Mississippi hard, and it’s even hit some of the staff at the Enterprise-Journal.
With symptoms of cough, chills, body aches, upset stomachs, congestion, it can be confused with a severe sinus cold, but the only way to be sure is to get checked out.
Registered nurse Lisa Miller, Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center’s emergency department nurse manager, and the hospital’s Assistant Medical Director and Chief of Staff Dr. Brett Ferman said the hospital has seen more patients earlier with the flu than they did last year.
Miller said the hospital has seen around 500 patients through the emergency room within the last two months with flu symptoms.
She said the number is up from last year.
“It’s up from last year this time. Last year, we saw patients later in the year. It was more around January through March. This year, we started seeing patients in October.”
Ferman said sometimes a nasal swab can produce a false negative.
“May not be enough virus, so it’s not a full representation. We treat it emperically. If your whole household gets the flu, we’re going to treat it as we’re going to do anyway. So that number is underrepresented.”
Ferman said the flu typically varies from year to year.
“We’re seeing it more around the community than others. This particular strand, everyone seems to getting it. The vaccine hasn’t been perfect (but) if you haven’t gotten the flu shot, get one,” Ferman said. “The problem we’ve been seeing, this strand can make people very sick. We’ve had to admit people into the hospital and even the ICU.
“We’ve had to admit more people with flu related complications than last,” Ferman said.
He said the flu can make people you feel bad and miss work.
“It’s a miserable experience,” he said. Ferman said this year, he’s had to put people in hospital more frequently than last.
Ferman said there are two strands of the flu this season — an A and B strand.
“In general, there have been discussions about which one is worse. It doesn’t seem to matter as much. We’ve seen more A than B, but we’ve certainly seen both,” he said.
Ferman said it’s clinically indistinguishable which is which until tests on the swab comes back.
He said both strands have similar symptoms. “Flu is typically cough, cold, congestion, muscle aches and fever, the classic symptoms,” he said.
Ferman said the extremes of age, the elderly and the young. are more at risk of getting the flu. People who also have underlying lung disease can be more susceptible to the flu, also.
“We’re also seeing healthier people who are sicker than normal. It’s not to be a discounted thing,” he said.
Ferman and Miller said the most important thing people can do to protect themselves from the flu is getting the vaccine.
“It’s still is the right choice,” Ferman said. “There’s still tons of flu. If you haven’t had (the vaccine), you should get it. It’s the best thing you should do.”
He said because the flu is a respiratory illness, it’s best to stay away from public places and practice good handwashing techniques.
“We can’t quarantine everyone, so if you go to public places, there’s enough flu going around that you’re going to get it in someway. That’s why it hit your whole office, because you all are in a confined space,” he said.
Miller said people without ready access to soap and water should use hand sanitizer.
“As Dr. Ferman said, practicing good handwashing (is recommended). Staying away from those who are sick, drinking fluids and treating the symptoms. If you have a fever, people can take Tylenol or Motrin if they’re not allergic. They also give medications for that. That’s pretty much all you can do. Let it run its course,” she said.
Sheila Brock, the emergency room supervisor at Walthall County General Hospital in Tylertown, said, “It’s slowing down. It was really, really busy with the flu around Thanksgiving and the first half of December.”
She said her staff has been seeing types A and B, but more of the former.
Dr. Andy Watson, medical director of the StatCare clinics in McComb, described the flu situation as “par for a busy year.”
Just as in Walthall County and at SMRMC, he is encountering two strains.
“We’ll have a bad flu season every three or four years,” he explained, “and this year is one of them.”
Watson said the flu “typically starts in the fall, then peaks around New Year’s, dwindles a couple of weeks, has another peak, then fades away.”
But 2017 has been different.
“We had flu every month the past year,” he said, adding that he believes the seasonless nature of the flu is a result of the ease with which people now travel across the globe. Influenza strains generally arise in Asia and then make their way to North America.
Asked if it is ever too late to receive a flu shot, Watson replied, “Absolutely not. Prevention is the biggest thing.”
He said, “We preach the importance of flu vaccinations, especially with patient populations that have chronic conditions, such as kidney problems, diabetes, chronic respiratory ailments, or any sort of compromised immune system. It’s never too late.”
