With flu cases at elevated levels across Georgia, families could be poised for an icky holiday season.
State data suggest flu season may have peaked earlier this year than last.
"We started off fairly slow in Georgia, and over the last two to three weeks we've seen a dramatic increase, and particularly over the last … 7 to 10 days, the numbers of cases have gone up tremendously," Georgia Department of Public Health Director of Health Protection Dr. J. Patrick O'Neal told WSBTV last week.
Flu cases are on the rise nationally, according to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, which runs through the week of Dec. 13. Georgia is one of 13 states seeing high levels of flu cases.
Children are especially hard hit.
“There are outbreaks of flu statewide particularly in schools and long-term care facilities — anywhere people are in close contact with each other for extended periods of time,” state health department spokeswoman Nancy Nydam said.
And children — other people’s children, of course — aren’t always the best at basic health hygiene.
"While they try, they probably don't do as good a job" as adults, said Dr. Robert Wiskind, immediate past president of the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Still, of the 11 flu-associated deaths reported in Georgia since late September, eight were of people 65 or older, according to state data.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you should automatically cancel your holiday travel plans if your kids seem to be coming down with the flu.
If your child has a fever, you should assume he’s contagious and limit his contact with others. Otherwise, he can generally travel as long as he’s comfortable, Dr. Wiskind said.
It’s a good idea to use masks and be especially vigilant about hand-washing or sanitizing when visiting friends or relatives who are elderly or have medical conditions.
And “if you’re flying, that’s when you want to be most attentive to hygiene,” Dr. Wiskind said.
The most important way to protect yourself and your family from the flu is for people over six months old to get a flu shot, Nydam of the state health department said.
Georgia's flu vaccination rate last year — about 39 percent — lagged behind the national rate, according to CDC data.
“Even if it is not a perfect match to the strains circulating as we are experiencing this year,” the shot “will help reduce the duration and severity of symptoms if you do get sick,” Nydam said.
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