Click here to subscribe today or Login.
The number of verified flu cases in Northeastern Pennsylvania is growing every day and based on predictors from other continents such as Australia, experts are bracing for a storm of sickness.
“We track other continents such as Australia very closely, and they had a very serious influenza season in their past winner and the vaccine was 10 percent effective for the strain that they had,” Commonwealth Health’s Dr. Tina George said.
George says usually when you get the flu vaccine, the range of effectiveness is 30 to 40 percent, but this year’s vaccine is not as well-matched to the circulating viruses.
Monitoring what’s happening in other countries can give some insight, but it doesn’t provide an exact road map. The flu is unpredictable and, experts say, it could be less severe or more severe.
How do you distinguish the flu from other illnesses? For one thing, the flu comes on extremely fast. Also look for symptoms such as fatigue and muscle aches that are abrupt and dramatic.
Flu season runs from December to February, but it can extend until May, so there is still time to get the flu vaccine. It takes about three weeks for your body to build up anti-bodies giving you a reasonable resistance to whatever virus is out there.
Richmond County Health Director Tommy Jarrell recommends residents get a flu shot, though it hasn’t yet reached its peak. Seven deaths in North Carolina have been blamed on the flu so far this season.