It is estimated that five to 20 percent (600,000 to 2,400,000) of Pennsylvanians get the flu each year, and 120 to 2,000 die from complications of the influenza virus, which causes the flu.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health monitors influenza activity throughout the year but ramps up surveillance activities in the fall and winter, which is when the virus is the most active.
For the 2016-17 season, flu surveillance began on Oct. 2, and has seen low numbers for reported cases of the flu in almost every county thus far.
“So far this season, reported cases for Influenza have been slightly below average, and aren’t anticipated to rise more than one to two points below the normal rate for cases of the flu in Pennsylvania,” according to Bureau of Health Promotion and Risk Reduction Secretary Sarah Callihan. “However, laboratory, hospital emergency department, and sentinel medical provider data all indicate that the flu activity has increased slightly for week 49, which was Dec. 3 through Dec. 10, according to the flu activity code.”
The flu activity code is a characterization of the geographic spread of influenza in Pennsylvania. It does not indicate how severe the influenza season is, Callihan explained. Rather, it indicates how much of Pennsylvania is experiencing influenza activity.
“The level of activity is classified based on Centers for Disease Control (CDC) definitions, which are used by all 50 states to characterize influenza activity,” she described.
Pennsylvania’s current influenza activity code is “LOCAL,” Callihan added, which means the flu is not of widespread concern, but that it does exist in local areas and may pass through them on a smaller scale.
And locally, only a few cases of the flu have been reported thus far — in McKean County, two cases of Influenza Type A; in Elk County, one case of Influenza Type B; in Potter County, one case of Influenza Type B; and in Cameron County, no reported cases.
The closest neighboring county with the next-highest reported amount of influenza cases is Warren, Callihan recalled, with six cases of influenza Type A and B.
“Overall, there have been 715 reported cases of the flu in all participating Pennsylvania counties since Oct. 2,” she noted. Updated influenza activity data will be posted on the Department of Health website every Tuesday throughout the flu surveillance season.
Callihan said the updates will provide a summary on when and where flu activity is occurring; current trends in the influenza virus as compared to previous seasons; and what types and subtypes of influenza viruses are currently circulating.
“It is important to note that the influenza case counts presented are restricted to only those cases that have had a positive laboratory test for flu (by rapid test, DFA, PCR or culture) reported to the Department of Health,” she further explained. “These case counts represent only a fraction of the actual burden of illness due to influenza occurring in the Commonwealth at any given time. This is because most persons with the flu do not go to the doctor or are not tested, or reported.”
The first influenza associated death was reported during week 44, Callihan said. Total flu-associated death reports to date is four. No pediatric influenza associated deaths have been reported for the current season.
And, according to medical professionals at the Department of Health, the severity of flu seasons varies yearly, but can depend on several things, including what flu viruses are spreading, how much flu vaccine is available, when the flu vaccine becomes available, how many people get vaccinated; and how well the flu vaccine is matched to flu viruses that are causing illness.
While health officials have already started keeping track of statistics for the 2016-17 flu season, it seems the illness has not yet brought runny noses and sore throats to Pennsylvania.
That’s true in the Bradford Area School District, where Superintendent Katharine Pude said, “We haven’t seen any cases of flu yet this school year.”
To help keep the number flu cases down, the district makes information available to students, parents and staff, as well as offers shots to employees.
“We post on our website advice for handling cold and flu season for our parents,” Pude said. “Students are encouraged to cover their cough or sneeze (with a tissue or into their elbow), to properly wash their hands, and to stay home when they are ill.”
In addition, Pude added, all of the school district staff are provided the opportunity to receive the flu shot at their respective buildings by CVS.
Perhaps the most important reason to get a yearly vaccination is due to the fact the flu virus is unpredictable, constantly evolving into new strains, and can potentially spread well beyond the individual who first becomes infected, Callihan noted.
For the 2016-17 season, the CDC recommends use of the flu shot (inactivated Influenza vaccine or IIV) and the recombinant Influenza vaccine (RIV). The nasal spray flu vaccine (live attenuated influenza vaccine or LAIV) should not be used during this flu season.
Other ways to safeguard against the spread of the flu, as Pude described, involve simple things, such as washing hands before eating, avoiding excessive touching of the face, mouth and eyes, and increasing humidity levels in homes, schools and workspaces.
