As a new influenza season approaches, memories of the last still weigh on the mind of Dr. Tim Jones, state epidemiologist at the Tennessee Department of Health.
“Last year was one of the worst years we’ve had in several years, both in terms of overall number of flu cases, number of hospitalizations – pretty much by all measures,” Jones said. “Unfortunately, it’s really hard to predict, and what happened last year doesn’t give us any more information about what’s going to happen this year.”
That’s why Jones and other health experts are urging residents to prepare by getting a flu shot now so they’re protected when the virus strikes. Unlike common colds, which also circulate during the fall and winter, symptoms of the flu begin suddenly and include high fever, cough, sore throat, congestion, body aches, headache and fatigue.
“The flu is more than just a ‘bad cold,'” Kayla Johnson, a nurse practitioner at CHI Memorial Convenient Care – Atrium, said in an email. “Many people are hospitalized and/or die from the flu every year.”
Eugenia Shaver, a family nurse practitioner at MinuteClinic in Hixson, said she’s already seen some sporadic cases of influenza.