Number of flu cases increases but at a normal seasonal rate

The number of confirmed flu cases in Alaska jumped last week, indicating the arrival of the annual influenza season, said Dr. Beth Funk, acting chief of the state Division of Epidemiology.

Most cases the state lab has analyzed so far were either the regular seasonal Type A virus or the swine-flu virus, another strain of Type A, which caused a worldwide pandemic in 2009.

Funk said it's not clear how far-reaching the flu is in Alaska. Last week, while some states reported widespread flu, Alaska reported it just in some local areas, she said. "This week it might change."

Alaska Native Medical Center doctors started seeing quite a few people with the flu last week and the center has admitted several patients, some of them very sick, said Dr. Rosalyn Singleton, immunization director for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.

Native Medical Center emergency room doctor Kathy McCue said she saw four cases over two hours one day last week and three of the people were admitted to the hospital. One went to intensive care.

"Now we're swabbing everyone who's admitted," testing for the flu, McCue said Monday.

At Providence Alaska Medical Center, Dr. Dan Safranek, emergency medical director, said flu patients started streaming in two weekends ago. Five or six people tested positive and hospital staff suspected flu in several more cases. Sometimes when quick tests turn up negative, they're wrong, Safranek said, though positive tests are usually correct.

Though local hospitals are noticing an uptick, Anchorage School District officials say absenteeism so far is nothing out of the ordinary; about the same number of students were out last Thursday as the Thursday before.

In the Valley, the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center hospital and its separate urgent-care clinic had had only four flu cases this year as of Monday. Kerry Aguirre, the hospital's spokeswoman, said she doesn't think any of the people were hospitalized.

In Bethel, "We have had a few (cases), but very few," said Lori Chikoyak, infection-control nurse manager for the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corp.

On the other hand, testing shows "it is in at least some of our communities," said Funk.

And a report from a sampling of doctors showed that the percentage of people visiting their health providers with flu symptoms spiked last week. The report came from a small sample of providers and isn't totally reliable, but last year, the sample's statistics tended to track flu test results, Funk said.

Still time for shots

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that signs nationwide point to increasing flu during January, the traditional time for the virus to take hold. It usually continues through March, Funk said.

The CDC website lists these symptoms for the flu: "fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people may also have vomiting and diarrhea." People can also have the flu and not get a fever, the CDC says.

People who have not yet been vaccinated should still get their shots or nasal sprays, Alaska health officials say.

"We've had more than 200,000 doses delivered into the state," said Laurel Wood, state immunization program manager. The vaccine is available at private pharmacies and public health clinics. For a list of public clinics, go to flu.Alaska.gov.

"It is absolutely not too late" to be vaccinated, said Wood. But be warned: Once you've gotten the vaccine, it takes about two weeks to become effective.

The vaccine protects against all three strains of flu in circulation in Alaska, including the swine flu, also known as H1N1.

The flu season this year is already far different from the 2009-2010 season, when swine flu dominated.

The swine flu strain, a newcomer, started up in May 2009 in Alaska, carried on through the summer, peaked in the fall and was tapering off by January 2010, said Funk.

This year's flu season is starting off in a much more normal pattern, she said.

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