BERKS COUNTY, Pa. – It’s midway through flu season and doctors say the post-holiday infection rate is higher than it has been over the last few years.
“This year has been a really bad year,” said Dr. Rutul Dalal, Medical Director for Infectious Diseases at Penn State Health, St. Joseph’s Medical Center. “In fact, CDC is saying this is the super flu, which also happened last year. This year it has almost tripled up with regards to the number of cases we are seeing.”
He says one in three people coming into the ER, doctor’s offices, or urgent care centers with respiratory symptoms are testing positive for influenza A.
Doctors at Reading Hospital say they’re seeing a spike as well.
“Over the last week, we’re seeing more patients coming into the hospital that we’ve had to open additional hospital beds to accommodate these extra patients,” said Dr. Debra Powell, Reading Hospital’s Division Chief of Infectious Diseases. “We do see this every January, so we are prepared for that.”
Experts say this year, one of the strains circulating (H3N2) has mutated, making the vaccine somewhat less effective against some types of the virus. But doctors say getting the flu shot still cuts down on severity of illness and helps to prevent hospitalizations.
They say if you’re sick, get tested, and if positive for the flu, getting on an antiviral medication within the first 48 hours can help.
“Flu can be very serious and people can die from the flu, both adults and children,” explained Powell.
“If you had to take one vaccine right now, it should be the flu vaccine, and it’s never too late to get it because flu season still runs until May,” added Dalal.