The flu virus can be nasty.<\/p>\n
Those who may be feeling a bit under the weather to start the new year are not alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to data from Lee Health, the county\u2019s leading heath case system has seen an uptick in influenza cases over the past few weeks.<\/p>\n
According to the most recent data spanning from Dec. 21 through 27 of 2025, Lee Health Ambulatory reported 531 positive specimens:\u00a0399\u00a0influenza A and 132 influenza B, while Acute Care reported 419 positive specimens: 362\u00a0influenza A and 57\u00a0influenza B.<\/p>\n
\u201cInfluenza season in general peaks from December to February,\u201d said Dr. Mary Beth Saunders, vice president of Medical Affairs. \u201cHowever, in southern Florida, we often see another spike with the arrival of people enjoying spring break in March and April.\u201d<\/p>\n
While flu cases at Lee Health facilities has risen over the last three weeks, numbers are down if you look back to last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have 950 combined flu-related cases this year. Last year at this time, we had 1,273 cases,\u201d said Lee Heath\u2019s Dr. Charles Callahan.<\/p>\n
Callahan added, \u201cSince last summer, a newer version of the flu virus has been spreading across several countries. While this version differs from earlier ones, there is no evidence yet that it causes more serious illness. Early data suggest that the flu vaccine continues to help prevent hospitalizations among children and adults, even if it may not always prevent milder flu symptoms. Vaccination remains especially important for people at higher risk of complications and those who care for them, as it is still expected to protect against severe illness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flu cases are also rising nationwide, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. The latest CDC data (last week of 2025) states there have been at least 11,000,000 illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths from flu so far this season.<\/p>\n
According to Lee Health officials, the influenza vaccine is recommended for anyone 6 months of age and older to decrease the risk of hospitalization and complications related to influenza.<\/p>\n
\u201cInfluenza virus may mutate but does not change completely, so even if the vaccine is not a perfect match it can still help decrease symptoms, decrease duration of illness, and contagiousness,\u201d said Saunders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Certain populations are at greater risk for serious complications of influenza:<\/p>\n
\u2022 People age 65 years and older<\/p>\n
\u2022 Children younger than 2<\/p>\n
\u2022 People with health conditions such as chronic lung, heart, and kidney disease and conditions that can weaken the immune system<\/p>\n
\u2022 Pregnant women during pregnancy and for two weeks after delivery<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting vulnerable populations from the flu is crucial because they are at higher risk of severe illness or death due to weaker immune defenses or preexisting health conditions,\u201d Callahan said. \u201cIt also safeguards individuals who cannot be fully vaccinated and alleviates pressure on healthcare resources.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saunders said the best ways to stay proactive against contracting and spreading the flu is to wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds, or use an alcohol-based hand gel, and to stay away from people who are ill when possible.<\/p>\n
Lee Health urges people to visit Lee Health Convenient Care locations if you have the flu. Lee Health clinics are specifically designed to treat flu symptoms in a much easier and faster way than emergency rooms, which handle life-threatening medical issues.<\/p>\n
Flu shots can be found at many local pharmacies, as well as at Lee Health facilities.<\/p>\n
To schedule an appointment for a flu vaccine through Lee Health, visit\u00a0www.leehealth.org\/patient-resources\/vaccines\/vaccine-appointments. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The flu virus can be nasty. Those who may be feeling a bit under the weather to start…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":111199,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":{"0":"post-111198","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cape-coral","8":"tag-cape-coral","9":"tag-cape-coral-headlines","10":"tag-cape-coral-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111198\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}