Posted by John Jacob, a health communications writer and editor at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health
According to this week's flu report (Word, PDF), Massachusetts has experienced a dramatic increase in flu activity over the past couple of weeks. This is consistent with what is being seen in surrounding states and nationally.
The good news is that CDC reports over 99% of the cases they have seen have been a match to this season's vaccine. With that in mind, and the holidays fast approaching, now is the perfect time to get a flu shot if you haven't gotten one yet -- there's still plenty of vaccine available and plenty of places to get it. Check with your health care provider or search for a flu vaccine opportunity in your area at www.mylocalclinic.com .
We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.
Two of my patients this week have been positive for inflenza A on their rapid tests (Directigen EZ-Flu A+B), despite having received this year's Fluzone vaccine two months prior. This makes me wonder if we're seeing live virus that are not matching the selected H3N2 & H1N1 strains. Unfortunately subtyping has not been done in these cases.
Posted by: Derek L (FNP) | December 26, 2012 at 07:15 PM