News 3 Exclusive: Influenza-Like Illness Spike
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News 3 Exclusive: Influenza-Like Illness Spike...
The West Central Health District released local and nation-wide data that show a spike in influenza-like illness from 2006.New data show that “week 40,“ or the beginning of October, experienced a significant spike in doctors visits due to influenza-like illness. Week 40 of this year indicates about 8.5 percent of doctor’s visits nation-wide were for influenza-like illness, a more than 7 percent increase from three years ago.
The West Central Health District also released to News 3 data for influenza-like illness-related emergency room visits. The group that most ends up in the E.R. for this illness is 24-49-year-olds, followed closely by 5-24-year-olds which were reportedly the most frequent group in late September.
According to Pam Fair of the West Central Health District, these statistics are an indication that this area is in a pandemic, and that immunization is the first defense against it.
County health still has about 25 percent of its supply of the shot form of H1N1. An adequate supply of the nasal spray vaccine also remains.
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