SPRINGDALE -- The worst of the flu season may be over, according to Northwest Arkansas health care providers.
Dr. Danelle Richards, Northwest Health emergency services medical director, said many people still are testing positive for influenza A, or H3N2, this year's flu strain, but the numbers appear to have peaked around Christmas.
At A Glance
Flu Care
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends sick patients seek emergency department treatment in the following situations:
Infants
• Trouble breathing
• No tears when crying
• Significantly fewer wet diapers than normal
Children
• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Symptoms improve, but then return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash
Adults
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and worse cough
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
"We've certainly been inundated with flu patients," she said. "But we are actually seeing a little bit of a decrease."
Flu season typically levels off in mid-February or early March, said Kerry Krell, Arkansas Department of Health spokeswoman.
Northwest reported 499 positive influenza tests between October and Jan. 13. The medical system reported 313 positive tests for all of last year's flu season, running from October 2013 to March 2014.
Dr. Chris Johnson, a family practice physician for Mercy Northwest Arkansas, said about every other patient he was seeing had flu-like symptoms a few weeks ago. He warned the numbers could rise again since school is back in session.
He said a less effective flu shot increased this year's patient counts.
"About half the people I'm seeing had their vaccination. It's usually more effective," Johnson said.
The vaccination is about 23 percent effective, Krell said.
"But that is better than nothing," she said. "Viruses are very good at adapting and changing."
She said 25 Arkansans have died from the flu this year, including 19 over the age of 65.
Richards said the flu typically hits the elderly and very young hardest, but she is seeing many young adults coming through the emergency department with flu-like symptoms.
There have been times when the number and severity of symptoms have caused area emergency rooms to go on divert, meaning they are not accepting ambulance patients. Richards said the Springdale hospital has been on divert a couple of times the past few months, but Northwest's Bentonville hospital has a policy to never going on divert.
Gina Maddox, Washington Regional Medical Center spokeswoman, said overall patient volumes have posed some capacity issues with rising flu cases being part of the equation.
"We only go on divert in rare instances," she said.
The Fayetteville hospital's emergency room saw 271 patients with flu-like symptoms between October and December. An additional 228 patients with the same symptoms went to the emergency room between Jan. 1-21. About 52 of those patients were admitted into the Fayetteville hospital.
Dr. James "Buddy" Newton, an infectious disease specialist at Washington Regional, said about 30 percent of influenza tests have come back positive. Other common viral illness, such as sinusitis, account for most non-influenza cases, he said.
People should seek medical care if they have body aches, cough, headache and fever greater than 101 degrees.
"A simple nasal swab can quickly and accurately diagnose influenza," he said. "In order for antiviral drugs to be effective, they should be given within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms."
Tamiflu is the drug most used to shorten flu's symptoms. Johnson said he will call in a prescription for patients whose medical background he knows to keep them from having to come to his office.
Krell said it's not too late for people to get a flu vaccination, and she encourages people to do so even though it has proven less effective this year.
"With the other strains going around, you can get the flu twice," she said.
Christie Swanson can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAChristie.
NW News on 01/24/2015