The influenza virus is widespread throughout the state, Arkansas Department of Health officials said Tuesday.
There have been seven flu-related deaths reported in the state since September, according to a weekly flu report released by the department Tuesday. There have also been about 270 hospitalizations related to the flu, according to the report.
Flu-related deaths this year ranged from infants to the elderly, said Gary Wheeler, department branch chief of infectious disease.
“I think we are seeing a little more severity of illness than we have in the past,” Wheeler said. “We are seeing more healthy aged patients in the middle of the spectrum getting ill than we previously have expected.”
This could be because the H1N1 strain seems more predominant across the country and in the state this year than other strains, Wheeler said.
“Because the H1N1 strain is a relatively new virus on the scene, there are a lot ofpeople that are healthy and young that have never been exposed” to it, Wheeler said. “If it is your first exposure to the virus, it will hit you harder.”
During the 2009-10 flu season, 54 flu-related deaths were reported to the state Health Department. Thirty-four of those people were ages 45-64. The 2012-13 flu season recorded the second-highest number ofdeaths for that age range since 2000. Eight people ages 45-64 died that season. Overall, 61 people died during the 2012-13 season.
A flu season begins when the first case of flu is detected. The season’s start and finish varies from year to year, said Kerry Krell, spokesman for the department. She said the season typically begins in the fall and ends in the early spring.
Michael Jhung, Center for Disease Control and Prevention medical officer in the influenza division, said the H1N1 strain has not been predominant in the United States since 2009. He said the CDC recorded more severe cases of the flu among young adults and older children during 2009 than in previous years.
The 2009 season seems to be recurring this year, Jhung said.
Older people could have partial immunity to H1N1. A similar virus was introduced in 1914, Jhung said. He said that could explain why the older population is not as ill from H1N1 as other flu viruses.
Also, young and middle-aged adults tend to be the largest group of people who haven’t had vaccinations, Jhung said, which could explain why older people are not becoming as ill from H1N1 as other younger folks are.
All of the flu vaccinations this year covered the strain of the H1N1 virus that is circulating now, Jhung said.
Wheeler said the strainscovered in the vaccine seem to be a perfect match for the strains circulating this year. He said it is important for anyone who hasn’t gotten a flu shot to get one.
Typically the emphasis for flu vaccinations is for people younger than 5 and older than 65, Wheeler said. However, everyone is encouraged to get a shot, and he said it may be even more important this year that people between the ages of 5 and 65 get a vaccination this year.
“I wish I had something new to say that would motivate young people,” Wheeler said. “I am struggling still to craft a message to get through to those folks. We can all die from influenza. If you consider yourself important to somebody, then you need to get immunized.”
People who get the vaccination can still get the flu, Wheeler said. However, they are less likely to get itand less likely to get it as severely as those who are vaccinated.
“The flu vaccine is not perfect, but it is the best thing that we have,” Wheeler said.
The 61 deaths during the 2012-13 flu season made that season the most severe in the state in more than a decade, according to a graphic provided by the state Health Department.
The 2009-10 flu season was the second-worst with 54 deaths.
“We are tracking pretty much like we did last year,” Wheeler said. “It was a relatively heavy season and more than we would have seen in past years on average.”
Jhung said nationally so far this year, there seems to be an average number of flu cases in comparison with previous years.
“We are seeing the start of the influenza season, and we expect it to increase for several more weeks until it peaks in late January or early February. We can’t sayif it will be a more or less severe season until we are further into it. It seems to be what is expected in an influenza season.”
Patricia Driscoll, spokesman with Northwest Health System in Springdale, said that health-care network of three hospitals has not seen a lot of flu illness so far. She said more than 700 people have been treated for flulike symptoms. More than 500 of those patients were tested, and 26 tested positive for the flu. None of those patients were hospitalized.
Dr. John Huskins, a Mercy Northwest Arkansas doctor in Rogers, said he has seen few flu cases so far.
“We are seeing a lot of viral colds and some bronchitis, but we really have not seen that much of the flu yet,” Huskins said.
However, the flu will likely reach Northwest Arkansas just as it is hitting other areas of the state, Huskins said. He said it is important for people in the region to get flu shots before it arrives.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 01/02/2014