Excellus: Confirmed New York flu cases up so far, this flu season

DeWITT, N.Y. — The number of confirmed flu cases in New York state as of late November is up from the same time last year.

That’s according to an Excellus BlueCross BlueShield review of New York state health data. Excellus is Central New York’s largest health insurer. It operates an office in DeWitt.

As of Nov. 25, 854 cases of the flu have been confirmed in New York. A year ago, New York had reported 643 confirmed cases of the flu at the same time.

The number of hospitalizations associated with influenza this year (352 as of Nov. 25) is also up from last year (302 as of Nov. 26, 2016).

“Most of the flu cases being reported now are from the Influenza A strain, which is a component of this year’s flu vaccine,” Dr. Richard Lockwood, VP and chief medical officer of Excellus’s Central New York region, said in a news release. “The annual flu vaccine is designed to protect against three or four flu strains during a season.”

Different flu strains can circulate at different times during a flu season that can extend to as late as May, according to Lockwood.

“It’s never too late to get vaccinated,” he added.

Health of a community

Lockwood contends the health of a community “hinges” on increasing the percentage of people who are vaccinated.

“That’s especially true this year, when the number of reported flu cases is on pace to exceed last year’s total,” he said. “A flu shot not only protects you from getting the flu, but also protects others from catching the flu from you, so there’s a community benefit to getting a flu shot.”

Statistically, every 100 people who get the flu will infect 127 others. One person with the flu can infect other people one day before any symptoms develop, and up to about seven days after he or she becomes sick. The virus can spread to others who are within 6 feet of the infected individual, mainly through microscopic droplets that are expelled into the air when people cough, sneeze or talk.

For some people, the flu results in a fever, the chills, body aches, a cough and perhaps a runny nose. But for the very young, the very old, women who are pregnant, and individuals with certain health conditions, catching the flu can place them at high risk for much more serious complications, including death.

“It isn’t always obvious who among us is most vulnerable,” said Lockwood. “The best protection against the flu for you and for others is a yearly vaccination.”

In the 2015-2016 flu season, the flu vaccine prevented about 5.1 million cases of the flu in the U.S., 2.5 million influenza-associated medical visits, 71,000 hospitalizations, and an estimated 3,000 pneumonia and influenza deaths.

Excellus cited estimates from the Atlanta, Georgia–based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC recommends annual flu vaccines for everyone 6 months and older. It takes about two weeks after the vaccine is administered for it to provide protection.

Excellus recommends that people call their doctor to schedule a flu shot, or visit vaccinefinder.org to find a clinic, pharmacy, or other location that offers immunizations.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com