(This is the second in a five-part series on respiratory illnesses of concern in Sheboygan County, their effects, incidence, and how to manage them)
Influenza is what gives the flu season its name, and it’s the dominant source of trouble right now, as we explore in the second of our series of respiratory diseases currently being monitored in Sheboygan County.
Influenza, or flu, is a contagious viral respiratory illness that’s caused by the influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and many people dismiss its potential to cause serious trouble. According to the National Institutes of Health, seasonal influenza kills more than 36,000 people and hospitalizes 200,000 more in the US alone every year. Given its ability to spread, influenza can cause pandemics, and even given moderate spread, affects up to 1 in 5 Americans each year.
Morgan Rahn is the Clinical Services’ Program Supervisor with the Sheboygan County Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health. She relates that “So, based on the emergency department visits in the Northeast Region, which is where we are, we are seeing high flu virus activity, and it’s been increasing from previous weeks.”
Influenza was first isolated in 1933, and descriptions of it could be traced as far back as from the Greek physician Hippocrates in 412 BC. And so there’s a long history of managing the disease, much of it well-known now, as it was the same set of practices described to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus that causes COVID-19.
According to Rahn: “To protect yourself and those around you, you want to make sure that you stay home if you’re feeling sick, wash your hands regularly – especially before you’re going to eat, cover your coughs and sneezes, primarily with coughing into your elbow and not your hands…unless you’re going to wash your hands right away; getting your annual flu vaccine is very important since flu virus mutates very quickly and, from year-to-year, looks different, so getting your shot every year is important to protect you from serious illness. And the flu vaccine is available for children starting at 6 months of age.” As for seniors, there’s a stronger vaccine that’s administered since the older immune system needs a little bigger “kick” in order to be fully prepared for an infection.
Treating the flu can involve anti-viral drugs that will make the illness milder and shorten the time you are sick, and can help prevent complications like pneumonia. Acetaminophen can be taken as a fever reducer if needed, and per standard practice, you’ll want to rest, drink plenty of fluids, and stay away from others until your symptoms subside.
Those symptoms can mimic other conditions, but Rahn said there are resources online that can help determine exactly what you’re dealing with. “The CDC and Wisconsin DHS have forms that tell you a little bit of what could be. Unfortunately, all symptoms are fairly similar, so really the best way to know is to go to your provider and get tested with a nasal swab…Is this flu, is this COVID, what am I dealing with?”
And that could very well be COVID-19, since the two virus exhibit symptoms and travel much the same. We’ll address the status of COVID-19 here during tomorrow’s report.
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