Flu Stretches Hospitals, Drug Supplies Nationwide

WebMD Medical News By Brenda Goodman, MA Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD Jan. 10, 2013 — The early flu season has turned severe in some parts of the country, stretching health care providers and drug supplies. According to the latest numbers from the CDC, there’s now widespread flu activity in 41 states. New York City and 29 states are reporting a high number of cases of flu-like illness. So far this flu season, 2,257 people have been hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed flu. Eighteen children have died. The number of deaths attributed to both pneumonia and the flu is still below epidemic levels. How much worse will it get? When will it be over? No one can say. “Seasonal flu is a big deal — always. It’s always going to be a problem. This year may be a very big problem,” says William Hanage, PhD, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. “We don’t know yet.” Most flu seasons last about 11 to 12 weeks. “We’re at about week five,” says Curtis Allen, a press officer at the CDC. “Even that 11 to 12 weeks is not a hard and fast number. The saying in the influenza world is that if you’ve seen one flu season, you’ve seen one flu season. Each one is different.” Region by Region Across the Northeast, emergency rooms have seen an influx of patients showing flu-like symptoms. In some cases, patients who come in coughing are being directed to ot...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: WebMD News Source Type: news