(Wampsville, NY – Jan. 2, 2014) On Dec. 19 the New York State Department of Health declared flu activity in New York State to be prevalent and geographically widespread. In Madison County flu activity is starting to see a mild uptick.
On Dec. 23 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated early reports, from November-December 2013, of severe respiratory illness among young and middle-aged adults, many of whom were infected with influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 (pH1N1) virus, the same flu virus that caused the 2009 flu pandemic.
“If the pH1N1 virus (also referred to as the 2009 H1N1 pandemic flu virus) continues to circulate widely, illness could affect more young and middle-aged adults as we saw during 2009,” said Cheryl Geiler, Madison County Health Department Director of Community Health. “The pH1N1 flu virus is a component of the annual flu vaccine and the flu season is just starting to pick up, so we need to continue to encourage residents get vaccinated to stay healthy.”
The pH1N1 flu virus that emerged in 2009 caused more illness in children and young adults, compared to older adults, although severe illness was seen in all age groups. While it is not possible to predict which flu viruses will predominate during the entire 2013-14 flu season, pH1N1 has been the predominant circulating virus so far.
This means vaccination continues to be important as a key line of defense, particularly among the young who have never been vaccinated from the flu. The annual flu vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months and older. Anyone not yet vaccinated this season should get a flu vaccine now.
While annual vaccination is the best tool for prevention of flu and its complications, treatment with antiviral drugs is an important second line of defense for those who become ill to reduce illness and deaths. Antiviral treatment is recommended as early as possible for those with confirmed or suspected flu.
To find a flu clinic go online to flushot.healthmap.org.
For more information about flu activity in your area, view Madison County Health Department’s Surveillance Reports at healthymadisoncounty.org/news/surveillance.htm.