Flu now 'widespread;' it's not too late to vaccinate

LACONIA — With the seasonal flu now considered “widespread” in New Hampshire, the doctor who oversees infection control for LRGHealthcare has a couple of pieces of advice for people who want to protect themselves and their family.

“Number one, it is never too late to get the flu vaccine,” said Dr. Abby Dacuycuy, who practices at Westside Healthcare in Franklin. “Number two, it’s still the vaccine. If you haven’t been vaccinated, get the vaccine.”

The seasonal flu is now considered “widespread,” said Beth Daly, chief of infectious disease control for the State of New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. “We currently are seeing widespread activity. It is in most areas of the state. We are seeing increases in influenza-like activity in the community — but it hasn’t peaked yet.”

The term “widespread” means that individuals could encounter influenza-causing viruses in any community in the state. And it’s likely to get worse before it gets better, as the flu season extends through February and March into April before it starts to taper off.

The good news is that this flu season isn’t likely to be as severe as some years have been, mostly owing to the variety of flu that is circulating this year. Of all the samples analyzed by the state, 87.8-percent the viruses have been found to be Influenza A (H1N1). That virus tends to result in milder symptoms than Influenza A (H3), and the flu vaccine is better at protecting against transmission of A (H1N1).

“The strains that have circulated this year are the same that were in the vaccine,” Daly said.

Typically, about 60 percent of children and 40 percent of adults will be vaccinated in New Hampshire, she said. That number has been slowly growing over time, but she said public health officials would like to see vaccination rates much higher.

“The goal is to have 90 percent vaccinated. We want everyone to get vaccinated,” she said.

Flu vaccines are “safe and effective,” she said, though “the vaccine is not perfect.” It is still possible for people to contract influenza, even if they’ve had their flu shot, she said — but that doesn’t mean that the vaccine was ineffective.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the seasonal flu vaccine is between 40 and 60 percent effective at preventing illness. Even if you get sick, though, you might continue to get some benefit from the shot.

“The vaccine is shown to limit the amount of time that you are sick,” Daly said. “You are less likely to be hospitalized or die because of the disease” if you’ve been vaccinated, she said.

In a typical year, during the height of flu season, 4 or 5 percent of people coming to hospital emergency departments are complaining of influenza-like symptoms, Daly said. This year, in New Hampshire, it’s up to 6.4 percent. Last year, flu symptoms drove 8 percent of all ER visits.

“We’ll see this very high activity at least until February and into March," she said. "We typically say flu season ends in May.

"With that said, it’s not too late to get vaccinated. If you get vaccinated today, you’ll be protected sometime in early February."

Dacuycuy said she is seeing the hallmarks of flu season in her practice’s waiting room.

“I think there’s a lot of flu-like illnesses for sure. We see a lot of people coming in for cough, fever, sore throat, a lot of classic flu symptoms,” Dacuycuy said.

Some might not consider flu season to be a serious concern, but there are many for whom the disease could be life-threatening, she said. Those at risk include the elderly, people with cardiac disease, pregnant women or newborn babies, and people who are receiving chemotherapy. While a healthy adult might not fear the flu, he or she could transmit the virus to someone more vulnerable.

“It can cause people to be very sick," Dacuycuy said. "It can cause death. People need to consider that it is something that needs to be respected, which is why we encourage vaccination for all people.”

Both Daly and Dacuycuy said that, once someone starts to experience flu symptoms, they should contact their health care provider and see if they should take an antiviral medication which can limit the severity of the infection. This time of year, it’s especially important for all people to frequently wash their hands and cover their coughs and sneezes.

“If you are sick, it is really good to stay home, especially if you have a fever, because you don’t want to spread the disease,” Dacuycuy said.