2012.02.13
Flu season off to mild start locally
At some point every year flu becomes widespread in Virginia.
Typically it the flu season peaks in January or February.
So far, neither has happened.
“In general the flu season is unpredictable,” said Dr. Stephanie Harper, health director for the Roanoke and the Alleghany health districts. “Usually it peaks in January and February but can start as early as October and can extend into May.”
This year, is a mild season so far, she said. But she didn’t back off the health department’s ongoing call for people to be vaccinated against the flu.
“We always hit widespread [flu activity] at some point,” Harper said. “We certainly anticipate that there will be an increase in flu activity at some point.”
So far Harper’s department has given out about 4,000 of the 6,000 flu shot doses it ordered for the season. She also said that when more illness begins to be reported, there is usually a wave of people seeking vaccination.
My father had a terrible flu for almost a week but gladly flu hasn’t become widespread, yet.
Comment by Samantha Walden — February 18, 2012 @ 2:41 am
Samantha, sorry to hear about your dad. I hope that he has recovered.
Comment by Sarah Jones — February 20, 2012 @ 4:46 pm
In case you didn’t see this, Virginia isn’t alone in having a slow start to the flu season. The CDC said it’s the slowest start to the flu season in 25 years. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_FLU_SEASON?SITE=VAROA&SECTION=HEALTH&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-02-17-11-53-23
Comment by Sarah Jones — February 21, 2012 @ 12:26 pm