Flu season peaks in local area, U.P.
ESCANABA — The area is in the thick of the flu season. Director of Nursing for Public Health, Delta and Menominee Counties Debbie Poquette said the flu season is ongoing on both the local and national levels.
“We’re seeing influenza across the Upper Peninsula and nationally right now,” she said.
OSF St. Francis Hospital and Medical Group Infection Preventionist Nicole Pirlot said she believes the 2016-17 flu season is currently either at or approaching its peak in Michigan.
In terms of severity, Pirlot said this flu season has been a normal one for the area so far.
“It’s a typical flu season,” she said.
Most of the cases of the flu that OSF St. Francis has dealt with recently have been caused by influenza A. Pirlot said an increase in cases of the flu caused by influenza B can serve as an indicator the flu season is nearing its end.
Poquette said the 2016-17 flu season’s impact seems to have been mitigated somewhat by the effectiveness of the current flu vaccine. The vaccine contains the H3N2 strain of influenza A, which has been the most common cause of flu cases during the 2016-17 season.
“Actually, the vaccine is a good match this year,” she said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, early findings suggest this year’s flu vaccine is 48 percent effective.
Poquette said the number of flu vaccines administered by Public Health, Delta and Menominee Counties during the 2016-17 flu season has been roughly similar to the number they administered during the 2015-16 season.
Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent the flu, Poquette said. She also noted people who have not yet been vaccinated for the flu can and should still do so.
“It’s absolutely not too late,” she said.
However, Pirlot said newly-administered vaccines will not take effect immediately.
“It will take two weeks for that vaccine to become effective,” she said.
In addition to vaccination, there are many other steps people can take to decrease their risk of catching or spreading the flu.
“Other preventative practices are respiratory hygiene, cough etiquette, and… staying away from work and school when you’re ill,” Poquette said.
Hand-washing is an important factor in flu prevention, as well. According to guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people should scrub their hands for 20 seconds under running water while washing their hands. When soap and running water are not available, a hand sanitizer consisting of at least 60 percent alcohol can be used.