Holidays mean added exposure to influenza

By Adela Crandell Durkee For Chronicle Media

(Graphic courtesy of Centers for Disease Control)

With holidays comes shopping, travel, relatives, and an increased exposure to influenza.

McHenry County emergency rooms treated 1,800 people for flu-related symptoms during the 2016-17 flu season. Keri Zeleski, community information officer at McHenry County Department of Health, said it’s not too late to get a flu vaccine.

“It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to become fully effective,” she said. “Flu season lasts from October until May.”

Many people wait until the fall, after flu season begins, to get vaccinated. When that happens, they often blame the vaccine for their illness when they’ve already become exposed to influenza.

Currently, each state in the nation is experiencing influenza activity. Although Illinois’ level is considered “sporadic” that can quickly change as people travel from states with higher levels.

The Illinois Department of Public Health encourages vaccination as the best way to protect against influenza (flu) infection. IDPH recommends that all Illinois residents aged six months and older should be vaccinated annually.

The public’s increased vaccination compliance, education and adherence to proper cough and sneeze technique, and routine hand washing may be key to limiting the incidence of flu.

The Centers for Disease Control cautions to remain vigilant because influenza can result in serious illness and even death, especially in those over 65 years of age and those with already compromised health. With aging, the immune system typically gets weaker — even in healthy seniors. With the body’s defense system on the decline, the risk for catching the flu and developing flu-related complications increases. The “high-dose vaccine” is designed specifically for people 65 and older and contains four times the amount of antigen as the regular flu shot. It is associated with a stronger immune response following vaccination (higher antibody production). The high dose vaccine has been approved for use in the United States since 2009.

With the 2017-18 flu season came some changes in immunization recommendations from the CDC.

  • The recommendation is to not use the nasal spray flu vaccine. Only injectable flu shots are recommended for use again this season.
  • Flu vaccines have been updated to better match circulating viruses
  • Pregnant women may receive any licensed, recommended, and age-appropriate flu vaccine.
  • A quadrivalent recombinant flu vaccine (“Flublok Quadrivalent” RIV) is newly available this season. This vaccine contains protection against four different influenza strains.
  • A quadrivalent inactivated flu vaccine, “Afluria Quadrivalent” IIV, was licensed last season after the annual recommendations were published.
  • The age recommendation for “Flulaval Quadrivalent” has been changed from 3 years old and older to 6 months and older.
  • The trivalent formulation of Afluria is recommended for people 5 years and older (last year it was recommended for 9 years and older,)
  • For the first time, a cell-grown H3N2 vaccine reference virus was used to produce the H3N2 component of the cell-based vaccine, Flucelvax. (The remaining Flucelvax vaccine components were manufactured using egg-grown reference viruses.)

“I experience first-hand how devastating the flu can be,” said Zeleski. “I make sure my family gets vaccinated every year.”

During the 2016-17 season, more than 100 U.S. children died of the flu, and thousands more were hospitalized for severe illness or complications from the virus. According to the American Association of Pediatricians, more than 80 percent of children who died of influenza were not vaccinated. People at high risk of serious flu complications include not only young children, but pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart and lung disease and people 65 years and older.

It’s also important to avoid close contact with sick people. People stricken with flu should limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them. The CDC recommends staying home for at least 24 hours after a fever is absent without the aid of fever-reducing medication, except to get medical care or for other necessities. Cover the nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Throw used tissues in the trash. If a tissue is unavailable, cover the mouth and nose with the forearm, not the hand.

“Self-inoculation,” is the primary way of contacting the disease. Touching surfaces where the virus landed, followed by touching the nose or eyes, often results in contracting the virus. Hand washing is another way to contain germs and prevent the spread of disease. Avoid touching the eyes, nose, and mouth. It’s a good idea to clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu.

Flu vaccines are available at most pharmacies and at the McHenry County Department of Health. Many insurance companies cover the cost of flu vaccination. For more information, call the MCDH at (815) 334-4510.