Flu Cases Spike Countywide, 2 More Flu-Related Deaths Reported

Speaker 1: 00:00 San Diego County is in the thick of flu season with nearly twice as many confirmed cases reported in the last week of December and two additional deaths. The latest numbers show. Many people are turning to emergency rooms with flu like symptoms. Dr. Eric McDonald is the medical director of epidemiology for San Diego counties, health and human services department, and he joins us now. Dr. McDonald, welcome. Speaker 2: 00:23 Happy to be here. Speaker 1: 00:25 So talk about how this flu season compares to the previous seasons. Uh, is flu activity stronger for this time in the season? Speaker 2: 00:32 Well, I would say that a flu activity generally gets, um, much more intense in January and February in San Diego traditionally. So the increased number of cases at the end of December. And what we're seeing going into this week, I would say are typical for this time of the year. Speaker 1: 00:50 And do you think the County has reached the peak of, of flu season yet? Speaker 2: 00:54 Well, I always like saying you never know the peak until you're past it. Uh, and uh, it's certainly increasing. And, uh, the intensity this week, it seems to be at least equal to last week. But, um, if you compare it to last season, uh, you know, we didn't reach our peak until March. Um, and, uh, so we really just don't know Speaker 1: 01:12 the latest numbers show 8% of local emergency patients showed flu like symptoms. Are those patients being hospitalized with the flu at all? Speaker 2: 01:21 Well, uh, the percentage of people going to emergency departments for influenza like illnesses, the most sense, uh, of the, uh, uh, the 1718 season, uh, certainly more than all of last year. Uh, and interestingly, um, for the people who are being seen, probably less than 10% are being admitted to the hospital, which is a little, uh, less than would otherwise be expected. Every flu season is different. Uh, last year was sort of a long, uh, but, uh, not terribly intense season with influenza a H one N one being Provident predominant at the beginning and then H three and two towards the end this year. Uh, it's, I would say following a normal course, but what's unusual is that influence a B is causing the majority of the illness. We don't usually see that actually here in, uh, in San Diego or across the country. That's something we usually see at the end of the flu season rather than the beginning. Speaker 2: 02:13 Does disproportionately, uh, affect, uh, younger individuals. And perhaps that's the reason that a lot of the people are, that are being seen in emergency departments are coming in sick but not so sick. They have to be admitted. It makes a younger people sick, but they don't tend to be, uh, as likely to be hospitalized or to die from it. It's just because, uh, uh, if you are exposed to influenza B as a young, younger person and then you live longer afterwards, uh, you tend to not to be quite as ill. So the influence of virus is affects, uh, different, uh, age groups differently. And, uh, that's what's happening here at San Diego. Speaker 1: 02:50 Right. And until we mentioned young people, but are there other groups of people who are more vulnerable to a this B strain? Speaker 2: 02:57 Well, anybody with underlying medical, uh, and anybody, particularly with heart and lung disease, uh, could be a more vulnerable. Uh, this last week though was the first week for influenza a was slightly more than influenza B. So again, as the season develops, uh, what might happen is we might see more and more influenza a and that's a of concern really to everybody across the community. Speaker 1: 03:19 Hmm. How effective is this year's flu vaccine against influenza a and B? Speaker 2: 03:24 We won't really know. Uh, we'll get some preliminary information from CDC probably in about a month, but we don't really know until the season is over. Uh, some of the early indicators are that, uh, that there's a very good match between the vaccine and the H one N run strains that are in the community. There might be some of a mismatch for influence a, B, but again, we won't really know until the season is really well underway. Speaker 1: 03:50 Hmm. And which one is worse? Um, influenza a or influenza B? Speaker 2: 03:54 Well, uh, if you have influenza a or B, it's bad for you. Speaker 1: 03:58 Sure. Speaker 2: 03:58 Uh, but, uh, uh, influence the a H three and two tends to be the one that is associated with increased numbers of hospitalizations and deaths. And that's what we saw. Uh, two years ago when over a 350, San Diego died of the flu. Speaker 1: 04:14 How was the County health department monitoring flu activity around the County? Speaker 2: 04:18 Uh, well we monitor it in several ways. Uh, we have prehospital indicators of, uh, ambulances, uh, and the reasons people call ambulances. We have, um, uh, surveillance, uh, daily, uh, in, uh, the chief complaints people have when they present to the emergency department. And then as of October, first of last year, every single positive flu test is required to be reported to the health department. So we get a, uh, excellent, um, test reports from really all the different venues that are in the community, emergency departments, uh, hospitals, uh, clinics, et cetera. Speaker 1: 04:55 You know, is it ever too late to get a flu shot? Speaker 2: 04:57 It's never too late. In fact, if you have not gotten your flu shot, I would absolutely do so now, uh, the season in San Diego can last well into the spring and uh, you will be protected, uh, within two weeks of your, of your shot. And so, uh, absolutely I would get the shot. Now, if you haven't gotten it. Speaker 1: 05:14 And the County puts out monthly reports on infectious diseases, aside from the flu, which other diseases are you most concerned about? Speaker 2: 05:21 Well, again, in the, in the, uh, winter times, uh, other respiratory illnesses can cause a significant, uh, uh, illness and death in the community. Uh, respiratory syncytial virus or RSV is certainly a, an illness that's causing, uh, or a virus that's causing a lot of illness, especially in, uh, children, uh, now, uh, and, um, uh, certainly the, the, um, uh, norovirus, which is, uh, can cause a, uh, gastrointestinal illness and other bacterial causes of gastroenteritis, uh, can be a, um, a little bit more common in this time of the year. Speaker 1: 05:55 I've been speaking with Dr. McDonald, the medical director of epidemiology for San Diego counties, health and human services department. Dr. McDonald, thank you so much for joining us. Oh, my pleasure. Thank you.