It feels like spring already in the Valley, but don’t let thewarm, sunny weather fool you.
Flu season isn’t over yet, according to local health experts,and good hygiene practices and a flu vaccination can still go along way toward prevention.
“From everything that I’ve seen so far, it looks like a typicalinfluenza year,” said Dr. Michael Mac Lean, Kings County’s healthofficer. “You might say this might be a little bit late for it topeak, compared to past years.”
Historically, the seasonal flu outbreak starts in October and lastsuntil April each year, with the season typically peaking inFebruary, Mac Lean said. The season could, however, peak anytimebetween December and March.
As in the rest of the country, the flu is widespread in California.Mac Lean says it still remains in the realm of normalcy.
“What we are seeing right now is what we see every year … I thinkwhat’s different about this year is it’s peaking a little laterthan normal, but not outrageously late,” Mac Lean said.
Dr. Elinor Zorn, a pediatrician with Adventist Health PhysiciansNetwork, agreed with Mac Lean. Zorn said she is seeing morepatients coming in over the past week with complaints of flusymptoms.
“We’re definitely seeing a lot of flu,” Zorn said. “We had a littlepeak, and it seemed for a week or two to go away. And now it hassort of come back more full-blown. I haven’t had a lot of reallysick kids with the flu, but I’ve definitely seen a lot offlu.”
The number hasn’t been overwhelming, and she had not been testingbecause she had run out of test kits, Zorn said. But she said shehad probably seen up to 10 children over the past week who came inwith clear signs of flu.
Mac Lean as well as Zorn said it’s not too late for people toprotect themselves by getting a flu shot.
Kings County Health Director Keith Winkler urged people -especially those at risk of complications from flu – to getvaccinated.
High-risk groups include adults older than 65, people with chronichealth conditions, pregnant women and young children under age5.
Rite Aid, Walgreens and CVS pharmacies as well as a pharmacies inthe Hanford Target store or the Save Mart store in Lemoore arestill offering flu shots. The Centers for Disease Control andPrevention has an online locator for places with flu vaccine:flu.gov/whereyoulive/index.html.
The reporter can be reached at 583-2429.