kupchurch@heraldsun.com; 419-6612
DURHAM — The H1N1 flu season in Durham has been relatively mild so far this year, but this is no time to be complacent, according to Gayle Harris, director of the Durham County Health Department.
In fact, recent figures show that 14 percent of those going to emergency rooms in Durham are being admitted to the hospital with flu symptoms, which clearly shows that the disease has not disappeared, she said.
And getting the H1N1 vaccine, she said, continues to be the best tool to keep it at bay, especially if another major flu wave hits Durham this spring and summer.
“We know that [spring] is when the virus was discovered,” she said. “I still think there is the possibility that it will appear again [in another major wave]. And it was able to be sustained over the summer when it was hot.”
Harris said the seasonal flu hasn’t hit Durham yet, leaving the H1N1 as the only circulating virus at present.
“Things are relatively quiet right now, but people are still being admitted to the hospital in Durham [with flu symptoms],” she said. Because of education efforts, she said, fewer people are going to the hospital who don’t need to.
“So we have fewer people going who aren’t that sick,” she said. “A greater percentage of those who go really need to be seen in the hospital.”
“But we still want people to get the H1N1 vaccine. We still have plenty of vaccine. The vaccine matches the circulating virus, and so we have the opportunity to just eliminate the spread of this virus.”
The Durham County Health Department at 414 E. Main St. is offering the H1N1 vaccine Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. except Tuesdays, when it’s offered until 6:30 p.m. Walk-ins are accepted, or call 560-7882 for an appointment.
