Strong flu strain spreading rapidly in PA. Has peak season for the illness passed?
An unusually strong influenza variant is sweeping Pennsylvania and the nation, with viral activity detected by state authorities shooting upward, and hospitalizations and deaths higher than in recent flu seasons, according to the state health department.
The rise in illnesses comes as federal health officials, led by anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., unilaterally weakened federal flu vaccine recommendations for children last week. Health experts, including Geisinger physician Stanley Martin, and Pennsylvania’s Department of Health , still recommend the jabs to people of all ages.
“It’s not too late to get the flu shot,” Martin said. Illnesses, he added, “have not peaked yet, and it’s going to continue.”
Case counts in the commonwealth shot up before the holidays — earlier than usual — and were highest at the end of December, with about 14,000 new reported illnesses per week. Reported cases have since flattened out, putting Pennsylvania in the bottom half of states in terms of total reported infections.
Centre County was 53rd out of the state’s 67 counties in per capita illnesses and also saw reported illnesses peak and then plateau.
As of early January, the flu cases were increasing most in Northeast Pennsylvania. Many flu cases are not reported to health authorities.
“We don’t see an end point yet,” Martin said last week. “We would anticipate that we’re going to continue to see the numbers grow over the next few weeks.”
The flu accounted for 0.78% of statewide deaths at the end of December, up from 0.45% at the same point last year, which itself brought about a particularly deadly flu season in Pennsylvania.
Martin said this year’s flu strain has been able to infect more people because it is better at evading vaccines than strains in previous years. Despite this, he said the shots are still a good safeguard against serious infections that could result in hospitalization or death.
“Immunity is not black and white,” he said. “It is shades of gray, and even partial immunity is better than no immunity.”
Flu symptoms and where to find a vaccine near you
Flu symptoms include fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue.
If you haven’t received your annual vaccine, there’s still time. Martin said vaccination rates have dropped over the past year, especially among children.
He attributed the drop, in part, to the politicization of public health and “Dr. Google.” Google has imposed artificial intelligence summaries on users over the past year, which have been known to spread bogus information, including about health.
Primary care providers, pharmacies and urgent care centers all provide the flu shot.
