After a recent spike, flu activity in Georgia has decreased but remains high.
The Georgia Department of Public Health said 5.8 percent of patient visits to doctors were for the flu during the week ending Feb 16. That's down from 6.3 percent of visits the week before, according to the most recent report released on Friday.
After flu rates rose sharply before Christmas, they dropped and then started rising again during recent weeks.
The state has remained high in flu activity this season. According to the last five weeks of the Georgia Weekly Influenza Report, patient visits in the state have fluctuated between 3.9 percent and 6.3 percent, a testament to the virus’ unpredictability.
Since the flu season began in early October, the illness has killed 15 people in Georgia — 14 adults and one child. And there have been 1,147 hospitalizations in metro Atlanta due to flu symptoms.
In the most recent data set from the influenza report, which is compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia was one of 30 states experiencing high levels of the flu. Others included Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky and New York.
Experts continue to urge people to get a flu shot if they haven’t already done so. Flu activity tends to peak between December and February but can last as late as May.
Georgia’s 2017-18 severe flu season didn’t subside until the end of April. It claimed at least 154 lives statewide and led to more than 3,000 hospitalizations in metro Atlanta. Local health officials called it the worst outbreak in decades.
Each year, 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu. Dr. Hugo Scornik, a Conyers pediatrician said, his office saw an initial peak of cases in December, followed by a quieter January, and then a second peak in February.
Even so, Scornik, who is vice president of the Georgia American Academy of Pediatrics, and others doctors say this season is shaping up to be a gentler flu season compared to last year’s brutal season.
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Dr. Andi Shane, medical director of hospital epidemiology at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, said she's seeing lower rates of positive influenza results this season.
Some patients test positive for the strain with only a fever and no other symptoms, which can make a diagnosis more challenging. Shane said clinicians at Children’s should have more information about this strain during the coming weeks after more testing.
Doctors say the fever should not be taken lightly. The CDC recommends that anyone with a fever stay home for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone (except to get medical care or other necessities). The fever should be gone for at least 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medicine, such as Tylenol.
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