Severe flu season having a big impact in Northeast Nebraska

LINCOLN–TheNebraskaDepartment of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is reporting very high levels of flu and flurelated hospitalizations across the state.

A total of 14 Nebraskans have died from the flu so far this season including at least one child.

“This is a severe flu season and it’s having a significant impact on the health of Nebraskans,” said Dr. Tom Safranek, state epidemiologist for DHHS. “We expect high levels of flu activity for several more weeks, which means more illness, hospitalizations and deaths. Vaccination continues to play a critical role, especially for those at high risk of flu-related complications. Antiviral medication for people who have the flu is equally important and so are preventive measures like washing your hands, covering your cough and staying home if you’re sick.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older every year. Certain people are at high risk for serious complications, and it’s extremely important they receive vaccine:         

• Young children

• Adults 65 years of age or older

• Pregnant women

• People with chronic lung disease (like asthma and COPD), diabetes (type 1 and 2), heart disease, neurologic conditions and certain other long-term health conditions

• Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities

People should promptly seek medical care if they have flu-like symptoms which can include some or all of these symptoms:

• Fever or chills

• Cough

• Sore throat

• Runny or stuffy nose

• Muscle or body aches

• Headaches

• Tiredness

• Some people may have vomiting or

diarrhea. This is more common in children

than adults.

Antiviral drugs are the best way to treat

flu so take them if your doctor prescribes

them. Early treatment with antivirals can

lessen symptoms, shorten the amount

of time you are sick, reduce the risk of

serious flu complications, and potentially

decrease additional spread of the virus.

A common respiratory virus called

RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) is also

heavily circulating in Nebraska. RSV

usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two but RSV can be dangerous for some infants and older adults. Right now, the state has the third highest number of cases recorded since DHHS began surveillance in 2003. Learn more about RSV - https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/index.html.

DHHS started its surveillance for the season in October. The Department uses multiple public health surveillance systems to track flu viruses, including physicians who report the number of people with flu-like illness weekly, lab tests, school surveillance, hospital data, emergency department data and death reporting. Flu surveillance shows where the flu is and how fast it’s spreading across Nebraska.

For more flu information, visit the DHHS website at www.dhhs.ne.gov/fluor the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/flu.