PEORIA, Ill. (25 News) – As the new year begins, health experts say flu season is still in full swing.
Dr. William Fletchall, director of Carle Health Methodist’s E.R., tells 25 News, they’re seeing an increase in flu cases, including those linked to variant K.
“Just after Christmas, I started seeing an increase in cases presenting in the emergency department,” Fletchall said.
This is a more aggressive flu variant, with the CDC reporting about 7.5 million cases since October.
“The Subclade K influenza virus seems to be running through the country right now,” Fletchall said.
Locally, Fletchall sees about 10 cases per day in the emergency room.
“We had really high incidents here, so I think this year we have the potential of similar to last year, but we have to see how things numbers shake out,” he said.
Fletchall said those who come into contact with this new flu strain may experience a variety of symptoms, with children and older adults being more at risk.
“Fever tends to be high, generally over 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit, you get a dry, unproductive cough, and a runny nose. The older population is most likely to be at risk for getting sicker, along with those who have more chronic medical conditions as well as extremely young children,” he said.
Fletchall recommends getting vaccinated to protect yourself from new variant K strain, as flu season continues and the new year begins.
“Vaccines definitely help reduce the incidents with the passage of it gives you immunity for that year,” Fletchall said. “Virus changes so quickly. This is why the influenza vaccine has to be redone every year.”
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