CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Flu deaths mount, activity 'widespread' in Arkansas

Times Record - 1/23/2020

Jan. 23--The Arkansas Department of Health reported an additional four deaths linked to the flu since last week, putting the death toll at 27 for the 2019-2020 season.

"Widespread" activity in the state was also reported by ADH to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in week three, noting the highest level influenza-like illness intensity of 10 out of 10.

"It's important to get a flu shot," said Nycole Oliver, APRN, at Baptist Health-Fort Smith's Dodson Clinic. "And it's still not too late to get a flu shot. Unfortunately, it takes flu deaths to get people to get a flu shot."

While Oliver noted there have been years in recent past where the flu shot did not work well, the vaccine developed for this flu season "seems to be working better than in the past years."

In the 2017-2018 flu season, for example, the flu shot did not work well. About 230 people perished to the virus in the state. The following year, the 2018-2019 season, flu deaths decreased to about 120 in the state. Since 2005 when flu deaths have been tracked by the ADH, the only other flu season to surpass 100 flu deaths was in 2014-2015.

The flu shot takes about a week to take effect and build up immunity to the flu virus that is expected to be airborne that season, Oliver pointed out.

Aside from getting the flu shot, the best ways to avoid getting the virus is to wash hands often after potential exposure, and "not go out when you're sick," Oliver said.

"Some people will medicate their children for a fever to get them through the day when they should stay at home," Oliver said.

Children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with health complications, or those who have a compromised immunity, are the most in need of getting a flu shot, Oliver said.

For those who have flu-like symptoms, wearing a mask will help keep the virus from spreading to other people. Oliver said an increasing number of people are becoming "anti-vax" and she is not certain why. But she asks all of her patients to get the flu shot and educates them on the benefits of the vaccine.

"I feel like it's doing a pretty good job this year," Oliver said. "It's working better than it did a few years ago."

Since Sept. 29, 10,700 positive influenza tests have been reported to the ADH online database by health care providers, the latest flu report states.

Over half, 53%, of the positive flu cases reported have been influenza B and 47% have been influenza A. One of the flu deaths this season was a child.

At least two schools in the state were closed briefly due to the flu this season, the ADH report added. The average public school absenteeism rate last week across the sate was 6.2%.

Half of the state's 75 counties reported an increase of 10% in school absenteeism.

Sebastian, Logan and Yell counties reported a 10% increase in school absenteeism last week, but Scott, Johnson and Yell counties reported higher rates. Sebastian County reported a rate of 5.88%; Crawford County, 5.7%; Franklin County, 3.89%; Logan County, 5.23%; Scott County, 6.27%; Johnson County, 6.01%; Yell County, 7.41%.

St. Francis and Phillips counties in east central Arkansas reported the highest school absenteeism rates in the state at 10.71% and 11.6%, respectively.

Since Sept. 29, there were four facilities including two nursing homes that reported influenza outbreaks.

___

(c)2020 Times Record (Fort Smith, Ark.)

Visit Times Record (Fort Smith, Ark.) at www.swtimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.