Many people have been feeling sneezy or sick to their stomach this winter and they’re not alone.
Illnesses are spreading fast in Connecticut, including the flu.
In the most recent data from the Connecticut Department of Public Health released Friday, there were more than 200 newly confirmed flu cases for the week ended Dec. 29, 2018.
The new report shows that another person has died from flu-related illness, too, bringing the total to four reported flu-related deaths. Three occurred in people over the age of 65; one was in a person between 50 to 64 years old.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Oliver Mayorga at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital said his staff is seeing the spike.
“I’m about to start my shift in the emergency room and I’m going to go see some patients who probably have the flu,” Mayorga said.
At L+M facilities in New London and Groton, staff reported three confirmed flu cases from Dec. 2 to Dec. 10; nine confirmed flu cases the week of Dec. 18 to Dec. 24; and from Christmas to New Years Eve, the number more than doubled to 23 confirmed flu cases.
Mayorga said this is typical for this time of year. Plus, people can have the flu and possibly not know it.
“The flu test is not 100 percent sensitive so you can certainly have the flu and your test could be negative,” Mayorga said.
“I had a fever for about five days, runny nose, my eyes watered so much they got swollen, I threw up constantly, I could barely eat,” said Selena Baker of Waterford.
The college student battled the flu last year. This year, she hasn’t been immune to other viruses.
“I caught a few cold viruses. You know, just regular stuff, the coughing, the sniffling, the chills, not feeling good, fever,” Baker said.
“In the winter we begin to see a lot of things circulate,” said Ledge Light Health District Epidemiologist Russell Melmed.
Flu activity is elevated across the state and in New London County, Melmed said.
“Roughly 10 to 10.5 percent of all the cases coming into the emergency room in our area are for flu-like symptoms. So that tells us there’s a lot of flu going around right now,” according to Melmed.
Statistics from the Connecticut Department of Public Health through the week ending Dec. 29 show that flu activity remains widespread and has rapidly increased the last two weeks of 2018. Emergency Department visits were up 2.3 percent from the previous week, according to those statistics.
And between Aug. 26 and Dec. 29, 268 patients have been hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza.
It’s not too late to get a flu shot. Last year, around late February/early March there were “tremendous” numbers of flu cases, according to Melmed.
There are many other illnesses going around this winter, too. A common cold and norovirus are both prevalent.
“Norovirus makes people very, very sick when they get it,” Melmed said. “Nauseous, vomiting, diarrhea, it comes on very suddenly.”
Theresa Grimm has had family members come down with norovirus this season.
“It’s awful because it’s just 24 hours where they can’t eat and you’re trying to keep fluids in them,” Grimm said.
To keep others in the house healthy, she took extra steps to try to keep the house clean.
“It’s bleach and then everybody washes their hands and washing the sheets and the pillows and the pillow cases,” Grimm said.
Doctor’s orders: if you get the flu or any other winter illness, rest, hydration and symptom control are key.
