Don’t wait to get that flu shot, experts say. Influenza is on the rise early in NC.
If you were waiting for a sign to get your flu shot, here it is: Influenza season is picking up in North Carolina.
Patients with “influenza-like illnesses”— a metric the state uses to get around variable flu testing results— now comprise about 3% of emergency department visits in North Carolina. That is significantly higher than what the state would typically see at this time of year, State Epidemiologist Zack Moore said.
Though incidence of flu symptoms appear to be rising across the country, it is highest in the southeast and south-central region, according to a CDC report.
It’s too soon to tell whether this flu season will be worse than past years but some data points have epidemiologists concerned.
The southern hemisphere’s flu season, which often foreshadows what the U.S. sees in its winter months, was unusually severe, especially for young children, national news outlets reported. Furthermore, the dominant flu subtype circulating in the U.S. typically causes severe illness in young children and in the elderly.
Despite the rising flu cases, fewer North Carolinians have been vaccinated against the flu this year than in previous years, Moore said.
Vaccination is particularly important this year both to protect people from the influenza but also to unburden the state’s hospitals, which are already handling a surge of patients from other respiratory viruses like RSV. A high-dose flu vaccine, which helps create a stronger immune response, is recommended for anyone older 65, according to the CDC.
North Carolinians should also make sure they’re washing their hands, covering their mouths and staying home if they have symptoms, Moore said.
“Since we have all these other things going around we want to make sure that people are doing everything they can to protect themselves,” he said.
Teddy Rosenbluth covers science for The News & Observer in a position funded by Duke Health and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work
This story was originally published October 24, 2022 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Don’t wait to get that flu shot, experts say. Influenza is on the rise early in NC.."
