Many area residents probably have not thought much lately about the flu. That’s understandable. So far, there have been relatively few cases locally. The wide availability of vaccine this year has sharply reduced worries about the illness and its effects. That doesn’t mean, however, that people should ignore the possibility that flu will strike.
Health officials and private health care providers correctly remind the public that widespread illness is still a possibility. Influenza season, they point out, traditionally ends on March 31, but that it can extend beyond that date.
Whatever the case, there is reason for concern. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracks the number of flu cases and charts its spread by state, reports that the incidence of flu across the United States seems to be increasing following a relatively stable period. The CDC’s tracking information, readily available on the agency’s Web site, is instructive.
It indicates that a majority of states — 35 — report minimal incidence of influenza. Others, however, others report a greater presence of the ailment. Six states — including Georgia and Alabama — are listed in the CDC’s most recent tally as having what the agency characterizes as a “high” incidence of illness. Tennessee is included in the states with a “low” incidence of cases, but given the trends in Georgia and Alabama, flu soon might be on the rise here.
Indeed, local and area health departments report a rise of in the number of fever, upper respiratory problems and influenza-like illnesses in the last couple of weeks. That understandably fuels worries that the flu will become more widespread here in the days and weeks to come. There’s still time, though, to take preventive action.
A spokesman for the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department says that it is not too late to get a flu shot. There is an ample supply of vaccine available at the health department as well as at private providers. The CDC recommends that just about everyone older than six months get an inoculation. The health department here concurs with that suggestion.
The vaccine for the current flu season, officials say, protects against the H1N1, the H3N2 and influenza B viruses. It’s a three-in-one formula that can be delivered with a needle or via nose spray. The benefits of the vaccine should be obvious. It can eliminate or significantly reduce the aching, coughing, sneezing, fatigue and other discomforts that are influenza’s calling cards. It also provides a broad societal benefit.
The more individuals who are inoculated, the less the likelihood of widespread outbreak of illness. That’s important for those most susceptible to flu — the very young, and very old, those with chronic health conditions and health care workers. Even in years with a low incidence of flu, it still claims numerous lives.
The flu vaccine — despite a small minority who continue to argue against mounting evidence to the contrary that any vaccine is dangerous — is both effective and safe. The vaccine is a useful tool in the on-going effort to reduce the toll the flu can exact. There’s no excuse to avoid getting a shot. Lives — yours and others — could depend on doing so.