First came the cold. Now brace yourÂself for flu.
Hospital adÂmisÂsions reÂlated to the flu viÂrus jumped sharpÂly in Minnesota durÂing the week beÂfore ChristÂmas, and now state health ofÂfiÂcials are reÂmindÂing those who haÂven't been vacÂciÂnatÂed — esÂpeÂcialÂly the elÂderÂly and those with imÂmune sysÂtem deÂfiÂcienÂcies — that it's time to act.
The spike in cases struck relÂaÂtiveÂly late in this year's 30-week flu seaÂson, but that's not necÂesÂsarÂiÂly a good preÂdicÂtor of how seÂvere it will be, said Claudia Miller, manÂagÂer of the state Health Department's secÂtion on imÂmuÂniÂzaÂtion, tuÂberÂcuÂloÂsis and inÂterÂnaÂtionÂal health. The seÂverÂiÂty won't be known for a few more weeks, she said.
"We are seeÂing an upÂtick. We are still well unÂder the levÂels of inÂfluÂenÂza we were seeÂing a year ago to date," Miller said. "But once we start seeÂing this kind of an upÂtick, flu uÂsuÂalÂly spreads pretÂty quickÂly over the next couÂple of weeks."
Fewer than five paÂtients a week have been hosÂpiÂtalÂized with the flu in Minnesota over the first nine weeks of the seaÂson, which beÂgins in OcÂtoÂber and runs through April. But those numÂbers have since jumped, hitÂting 36 in the week beÂfore ChristÂmas. Once the numÂbers start climbÂing like that, it's not unÂuÂsuÂal to see them double for sevÂerÂal weeks in a row, reÂcords show.
The FluView map from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows high levÂels of inÂfluÂenÂza in Texas, LouÂiÂsiÂanÂa, MisÂsisÂsipÂpi, AlÂaÂbamÂa, MisÂsouÂri and Oklahoma, but miniÂmal levÂels in Minnesota and the surÂroundÂing states in the Upper Midwest.
Miller said the viÂrus is hitÂting youngÂer and healÂthy adults hard in othÂer states, but said ofÂfiÂcials won't know for a couÂple of weeks whethÂer that will be the case in Minnesota.
Most of the 140 milÂlion or so doses of flu vacÂcine this year are deÂsigned to work against three strains of the viÂrus, acÂcordÂing to the CDC, but about a quarÂter are deÂsigned to work against four strains: two type A and two type B. The vacÂcines genÂerÂalÂly take efÂfect withÂin a couÂple of days.
Miller said the vacÂcine covÂers the most prevÂaÂlent strain of flu turnÂing up in Minnesota. But othÂer facÂtors, inÂcludÂing an inÂdiÂvidÂuÂal's imÂmune staÂtus, inÂfluÂence its efÂfecÂtiveÂness. "It is a good match, but not an abÂsoÂlute asÂsurÂance of proÂtecÂtion," she said.
Dan Browning • 612-673-4493