State health officials are strongly urging the public to get their flu shot after the Department for Public Health (DPH) raised the flu activity to “widespread” in Kentucky for the first time this flu season. State officials say widespread is the highest level of flu activity, which indicates increased flu cases or flu outbreaks in at least half of the regions in the Commonwealth.
DPH Commissioner, Dr. Jeff Howard says they are strongly urging anyone who hasn’t received a flu vaccine, particularly children six months and older and those people at high risk for complications related to the flu. He notes you should also remember to cover your cough and avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth because germs are spread this way. Dr. Howard says you should also wash your hands frequently with soap and water and stay home if your sick with flu-like illness.
According to a release, the number of flu cases in the state to date this season is 1,457, up from 1,411 at the same time last season. One of the hardest hit areas currently is Louisville Metro, which has confirmed more than 550 cases recently.
Christian County Health Department Health Education Manager Amanda Bassingthwaite says she’s expecting the number of flu cases to rise in our area.
She notes they still have flu vaccinations available at the health department.
State health officials report four adult deaths and one pediatric death have now been linked to the flu in Kentucky this flu season. At this time in the last flu season, Kentucky had twelve flu-related deaths, all adults. During the entire flu season, there were 333 flu-related deaths in the state last year, five of which were children.
Symptoms of the flu include fever, headache, cough, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing and body aches. For information regarding the availability of flu vaccine, you should contact your primary care medical provider or local health department.
