THIS FLU SEASON, THE CENTERS FOR FLU
CONTROL AND PREVENTION IS KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON CASES TO
FLU FOLLOWING A DEADLY 2017, 2018 SEASON, WHICH KILLED 80,000
NATIONWIDE.
THE CAUSE IS THOUGHT TO BE A COMBINATION OF AN AGGRESSIVE
STRAIN OF THE FLU AND FEWER PEOPLE GETTING VACCINATED.
JUST 37 PERCENT OF U.S. ADULTS RECEIVED THEIR FLU SHOT LAST
YEAR .. NOW, AS THE PEAK OF FLU SEASON APPROACHES, THE CDC IS
REPORTING BETWEEN EIGHT AND NINE AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE IN THE
UNITED STATES HAVE ALREADY BEEN HIT BY DIFFERENT STRAINS OF THE
FLU.
THE GOOD NEWS, THIS YEAR'S VACCINE SEEMS TO BE WORKING AND
EXPERTS SAID THERE IS STILL TIME TO GO AHEAD AND GET YOUR SHOT.
HERE TO SHARE MORE ABOUT STAYING HEALTHY THIS FLU SEASON IS
ISABEL GRIFFIN, OUT BREAK EPIDEMIOLOGIST WITH THE FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH IN MIAMI-DADE, IT IS GOOD TO HAVE
YOU WITH US.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
Pam: ALL RIGHT.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS YEAR COMPARED TO LAST A YEAR BECAUSE
YOU WERE SAYING LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME, ESPECIALLY WITH GO
AHEADATRIC PATIENTS WE STARTED TO SEE A RISE IN THE FLU ALREADY
AROUND WHAT, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER?
YES.
SO TYPICALLY WITH ALL OF OUR AGE GROUPS WE SEE A RISE AROUND
NOVEMBER, DECEMBER AND THEN IT STARTS TO START OF DECLINE UNTIL
MARCH.
LAST YEAR BECAUSE LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT BECAUSE IN OUR
PEDIATRIC GROUP WE ACTUALLY SAW TWO PEAKS, SAME TIME ADULTS,
NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER AND JANUARY TO MARCH, WE DON'T KNOW
IF THAT THE IS GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN THIS YEAR BUT THAT IS
SOMETHING TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SO PARENT DEFINITELY NEED TO
BE VACCINATING THEIR CHILDREN.
WE WERE TALKING EARLIER ABOUT WHEN EVERYBODY COMES BACK FROM
VACATION, YOU START TO SEE THAT RISE, ESPECIALLY IN THE KIDS AT
SCHOOL.
YES.
RIGHT?
SO WHAT IS THE INCUBATION PERIOD?
WHERE WE START LATE JANUARY ALREADY, ARE WE START
OKAY TO SEE MORE CASES OF FLU IN KIDS?
YES THE INCUBATION IS ONE TO FOUR DAYS, TYPICALLY ABOUT TWO
DAYS.
YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, WHEN KIDS COME BACK TO SCHOOL, THEY
ARE AROUND OTHER KIDS THAT HAVE LITTLE SNIFFLES AND
UNFORTUNATELY IT TENDS TO SPREAD IN THIS POPULATION WE SEE A LOT
OUT OF BREAKS IN DAY-CARES AND SCHOOLS AND IN THE OLDER SYSTEM
IN NURSING HOMES AND LIVING FACILITIES.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THE VACCINE BECAUSE IN YEARS PAST THERE
HAVE BEEN ISSUES WITH THE VACCINE NOT REALLY HITTING THE
MARK WHEN IT CAME TO THAT YEAR'S STRAIN OF THE FLU.
SO WHERE ARE WE IN TERMS OF THIS YEAR'S FLU SHOT?
OKAY.
SO LAST YEAR VACCINE EFFICACY WAS ABOUT 40 PERCENT, THESE ARE
THE NUMBERS COMING OUT OF CDC, AS FAR AS THIS YEAR, WE REALLY
DON'T KNOW.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE DON'T KNOW THE EFFICACY OF THE VACCINE UNTIL
THE FLU SEASON IS OVER.
BUT AS FAR AS WE KNOW, THE VACCINE IS --
Pam: SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE TOO BETWEEN A
COLD AND A FLU.
BECAUSE YOU, COMING ON THE TAIL END OF WHAT WAS A COLD, BUT A
FLU IS SOMETHING THAT OBVIOUSLY IS MUCH MORE SEVERE, KIND OF
WALK THROUGH THE SYMPTOMS FOR US OF HOW YOU KNOW KNOW WHAT THE
DIFFERENCE IS.
SURE.
TYPICALLY WITH THE FLU, IT COMES ON MORE SUDDENLY THAN A COLD.
YOU SOMETIMES WILL HAVE FEVER, COUGH, RUNNY NOSE, MUSCLE ACHES,
HEADACHE, SOMETIMES YOU WILL HAVE DIARRHEA AND VOMITING BUT
THAT IS MORE COMMON IN CHILDREN THAN ADULTS BUT HONESTLY THE
ONLY WAY WHETHER YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE A FLU OR COLD IS GO TO THE
DOCTOR FOR THEM TO TEST YOU AND ONCE YOU GET TESTED IF I DON'T
DOW TEST POSITIVE YOUR DOCTOR CAN DESCRIBE YOU ANTI-VIRALS TO
TREAT.
Pam: AND THAT IS USUALLY SOMETHING CALLED TAMIFLU?
YES.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
SO BASICALLY WHAT WHAT THE MEDICATION IS DOING IS IT THE
PROVIDING YOU WITH THE HEAD START THAT YOUR BODY NEEDS, IF
YOU HADN'T ALREADY GOTTEN A VACCINE, TO -- FOR YOUR BODY TO
FIGHT IT OFF.
Pam: SO WHAT CAN WE DO BEFORE WE GET TO THAT POINT?
WHAT CAN WE DO TO KEEP OURSELVES HEALTHY?
BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE WATCHING THIS, AND ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE
LITTLE KIDS, YOU ARE CONCERNED, WHAT DO WE DO TO PREVENT THAT?
ESPECIALLY WITH LITTLE KIDS, IT IS HARD BECAUSE THEY ARE ALWAYS
TOUCHING THEIR FACES AND EVERYTHING, RIGHT?
YES.
ABSOLUTELY.
SO THE BEST WAY TO PREVENTING THE FLU IS FIRST AND FOREMOST TO
GET THE FLU VACCINE, PREFERABLY BEFORE THE FLU SEASON STARTS,
WHICH IS USUALLY ABOUT OCTOBER, BUT IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT YET
NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME.
WASHING YOUR HANDS, BASICALLY ANY SORT OF DISEASE PRESTREKS IS
WASHING YOUR HANDS, ESPECIALLY WITH SOAP AND WATER AND HAND
SANITIZERS ARE POPULAR BUT WARM SOAP, OR WARM WATER AND SEEP IS
STILL THE NUMBER ONE PREFERENCE.
NOT TOUCHING YOUR MOUTH, YOUR EYES, YOUR NOSE, BECAUSE IF YOU
HAVE THE VIRUS ON SURFACES AND TOUCHING YOUR MOUTH YOU ARE
ALLOWING THE VIRUS TO GET YOUR VIRUS TO GET INTO YOUR BODY THAT
WAY.
Pam: IT IS SO HARD, ISN'T IT?
RIGHT.
BUT THE OTHER IS STAYING HOME WHEN YOU ARE SICK.
[LAUGHTER.]
SO IT IS RECOMMENDED TO STAY HOME IF YOU TO HAVE THE FLU FOR
AT LEAST 24 HOURS UNTIL YOU DON'T HAVE A FEVER.
THAT WAY YOU ARE PREVENTING THE TRANSMISSION TO OTHERS.
AND WORK BUT ALSO YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR FAMILY AT
HOME, IF YOU STAY AT HOME YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS
TAKING PRECAUTIONS SO YOU DON'T HAVE A LITTLE HOUSEHOLD
OUTBREAK.
Pam: RIGHT.
HOW LONG ARE YOU CONTAGIOUS?
IS IT DIFFERENT BETWEEN A COLD AND FLU OR KIND OF THE SAME?
SO WITH THE FLU YOU ARE CONTAGIOUS AS LONG AS YOU HAVE
SYMPTOMS, IT IS ACTUALLY INTERESTING, SOME STUDIES HAVE
SHOWN IMMUNOCOMPROMISED KNOW COMPROMISED YOU WILL SHED THE
VIRUS A LITTLE LONGER BUT .. YOU ARE CONTAGIOUS AS LONG AS YOU
ARE SYMPTOMATIC.
Pam: YOU ARE SAYING IT IS NOT TOO LATE, SAY SOMEONE GETS
THE VACCINE TODAY.
DOES IT TAKE A WHILE FOR THEM TO KIND OF BUILD UP THAT IMMUNITY
SO THEY CAN REALLY FIGHT THE FLU?
IT TAKES ABOUT TWO WEEKS OR 14 DAYS IS, TO BUILD UP THE
ANTIBODIES SO THEORETICALLY IF YOU CONSIDER TO GET THE
ADVANTAGE SEEN YOU WOULD NEED TO AVOID PEOPLE FOR TWO WEEKS, SIX
PEOPLE.
Pam: IT IS DEFINITELY A GOOD IDEA AND TALK ABOUT WHO WHO
IS CONSIDERED LIKE IMMUNE COMPROMISED?
OKAY.
SO THAT WOULD BE PEOPLE WITH DIABETES, PREGNANT
WOMEN COULD BE CONSIDERED IMMUNOCOMPROMISED BECAUSE OF THE
EFFECTS OF PREGNANCY.
Pam: YES.
SO THERE IS, THEY ARE DEFINITELY A POPULATION THAT
THESE TO HAVE THE, HAVE THE VACCINE, PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF
65 AND CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE ARE CONSIDERED TO BE HIGH
RISK GROUPS.
Pam: ARE PHARMACIES GETTING INVOLVED IN THIS AS WELL?
WE NOAH LOT OF PHARMACIES OFFER THE FLU SHOT AND ONE OF MY
PRODUCERS TOLD ME SHE ACTUALLY GOT AN ALERT ON HER PHONE THAT
SAID HER CVS NOTICED IN HER REGION THERE WAS SORT OF LIKE A
HOT SPOT OR SOMETHING.
WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THAT?
FILL US IN ON THAT.
SO, YES.
A LOT OF FLU IS HAPPENING THE, OBVIOUSLY, COUNTY WIDE AND A LOT
OF PHARMACIES ARE OFFERING THE THROUGH SHOT AND THERE IS A LINK
ON OUR WEBSITE IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A FLU SHOT YOU CAN
GO TO FLORIDA HEALTH.GOV AND FIND A FLU SHOT TO FIND A FLU
SHOT.
Pam: YES. AND THEN AS FAR AS THE ROLE
OF MONITORING -- I WASN'T AWARE OUR PHARMACIES WERE DOING THAT,
THAT IS WONDERFUL.
WE ACTUALLY MONITOR EMERGENCY ROOM DEPARTMENT VISITS, AND THAT
IS KIND OF HOW WE KNOW WHAT FLU IS LIKE IN OUR COUNTY, BECAUSE
WE ARE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE GOING TO EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS.
SO THAT IS HOW WE ARE MONITORING IT.
Pam: SO MAYBE IF THE PHARMACIES ARE TUNED IN TO
FOLLOWING WHAT THE FLORIDA OF DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH HAD TO DO
SO KIND OF GETTING THE SAME DATA.
AND GETTING IT FROM EVEN THE PHARMACISTS.
Pam: THANK YOU SO MUCH, ISABEL.
WE APPRECIATE IT.
OF COURSE.
Pam: WE HOPE TO HELP PEOPLE STAY HEALTHIER AS WE HEAD INTO
THE PEAK OF THE SEASON.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT OR QUESTION ABOUT THIS YEAR'S FLU
SEASON?
WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU, YOU CAN REACH US BY E-MAIL OR
VIA TWITTER, FACEBOOK PAGE AT @YOURSOUTHFLORIDA, LEAVE US A
COMMENT, WE JUST MAY PUT YOUR COMMENTS ON THE AIR.