Flu Hits Virginia, 151 New Cases As Virus Spreads

VIRGINIA — Flu has hit Virginia hard in recent weeks with 151 confirmed cases of the illness just in the week that ended Dec. 7, according to the most recent data released by the Virginia Department of Public Health. State health officials say no pneumonia and influenza-associated deaths have been reported in the past week.

No pediatric deaths from the flu have been recorded this flu season in the Commonwealth.

The flu season is off to an “unusual” start and government health officials say it has already been blamed for over a thousand deaths, including 10 children. There’s a high chance activity will peak in late December, although the worst could come anytime between the end of the year and February, according to flu season forecasts.

Of the total 390 infections in Virginia so far in the 2019-20 flu season, 97 (24.9 percent) were influenza A and 293 (75.1 percent) were influenza B. The predominant strains were A (H1) with and B/Victoria, the state health department said Friday.

So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says most illnesses are the result of the influenza B/Victoria viruses, which the agency said is unusual for this time of the year. The next most common virus in circulation is the A/H1N1 and it’s increasing in proportion relative to other viruses in some regions.

The latest data from the agency — current as of the week ending Dec. 6 — shows that the virus is widespread in 23 states, including Virginia.

The geographic spread of flu activity does not measure the severity of the virus.

The CDC’s influenza-like-illness surveillance measures the level of flu activity within a state. According to the latest data, flu activity is high in 11 states, including Virginia, and Puerto Rico.

To see where flu is widespread https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/ (scroll to bottom).

Influenza-like-illness activity map with links to state health departments for more info https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/fluview/main.html.

The flu can cause serious illness, hospitalization and death. The groups most at risk are older adults, very young children, pregnant women and those with certain chronic medical conditions, according to the CDC.

You can use the CDC’s flu vaccine finder to locate a pharmacy or clinic near you that provides the vaccine:

According to the CDC, symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever or feeling feverish/chills (though not everyone with flu will have a fever)
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.

It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to provide protection against the flu. You can find more information about the flu vaccine and its benefits here.

The Virginia Department of Health says these steps can help prevent the spread of flu:

• Always cover your cough and sneeze into your elbow
• Wash your hands
• Routinely clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that get touched a lot, such as door handles, countertops, and faucets.
• If you feel sick, stay home from work or school