Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
The severity of the flu in Mass. is ‘very high.’ Here’s what to know.
“The flu is really coming back in force this year."
The flu is surging around Massachusetts.
Activity for the virus is designated as “very high” across the state, which is seeing the highest level of the illness since before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest available data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Massachusetts isn’t alone. Flu activity is high and increasing across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Outpatient respiratory illness is increasing and remains above baseline nationally for the tenth consecutive week,” the federal agency said in its most recent report on the virus.
Advertisement:
According to the CDC, there have been at least 24 million cases of the flu this season nationally, with 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths.
As of Feb. 1, more than 10 percent of patients heading to doctors offices in Massachusetts were suffering from symptoms of the flu, according to DPH. That’s up from the more typical surge of five or six percent during the height of past flu seasons.
Hospitalizations are also up, and 98 people have died from the flu, with the season still underway, according to the state.
“It seems like people are feeling sicker, longer, than I’ve seen in recent years,” Dr. Michele Schroeder, president of the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians, told WBUR. “The majority are that young and healthy 20- to 40-year-old age group. That’s different from prior years.”
What’s behind the surge in flu cases?
Dr. Zandra Kelley, chief medical officer at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, told WBUR the current flu season is one of the worst she’s seen in a while.
Advertisement:
“The flu is really coming back in force this year,” she told the station.
She said in the last three weeks, the number of patients with flu-like illness has increased from about 60 to 100 a day, approximately a 70 percent increase.
Many of the patients, including those at high risk for illness, are turning down the flu vaccine, she said, according to WBUR.
Dr. Sundeep Shukla at Colley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton told WWLP that while people masking less around others is a factor, fewer individuals getting the flu vaccine is a cause behind the peak in cases.
“We are seeing a decrease in the total of people getting vaccinated,” he said.
As of last week, 38 percent of state residents have gotten the flu vaccine, according to the state. That is a lower rate than in the last four flu seasons.
Dr. Sandeep Jubbal, an infectious disease specialist at UMass Memorial, told NBC10 Boston that fluctuating temperatures this winter season are also playing a part in the spread of the illness.
“December we had fairly warmer days compared to last years and now generally it’s been really cold outside so everyone’s been moving indoors,” he said.
How to limit risk during flu season
With the flu season typically lasting until May, doctors and public health officials are urging anyone who hasn’t already gotten a flu shot to get the vaccine, which can help prevent serious illness if you contract the virus. The Boston Public Health Commission announced this week that it is hosting free vaccination clinics on Wednesday and Thursday in Dorchester, Roxbury, and Brighton.
If you do get sick, getting an antiviral medication like Tamiflu from your healthcare provider can help, Dr. Paul Sax, clinical director of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, told The Boston Globe.
Advertisement:
“If you have flu-like symptoms; fever, cough, sore throat, shaking chills, muscle aches, and you feel like a cold hit you like a truck, that’s when we treat people for flu without them needing a test,” Sax told the newspaper.
The most common symptoms of the flu include fever, cough, and sore throat, but they can also include body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. The symptoms can last from a few days to more than a week.
In addition to getting vaccinated to prevent spread of the illness, officials advise washing your hands, staying at home if you are sick, avoiding close contact with others who are ill, and covering your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com