This season’s flu is worse than in years past, in part because Americans haven’t seen this strain in a while and don’t have immunity.
State health officials believe it could get worse before it gets better.
State epidemiologist Stephen Sears said Maine is seeing an earlier flu season and one that’s more severe. Although doctors don’t have to report individual cases of influenza, they do have to report clusters. As of Dec. 18, the state had seen 13 outbreaks, a number higher than usual for this time of year.
Also, a school-age child died of the flu in Maine this month, the first child death from the flu in at least a couple of years.
Maine, Sears said, is mirroring the flu situation in much of the rest of the country.
Since 2009, the predominant flu strain has been H1N1. This year, the principal strain is H3N2. Although the flu vaccine protects against both, plus a third strain, people who don’t get vaccinated don’t have a good natural immunity to this year’s predominant strain because it hasn’t been around in a while, Sears said.
Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston has seen the effects firsthand as patients with both flu symptoms and related upper respiratory infections fill the emergency room.
“It’s been packed over the weekend,” hospital spokesman Chuck Gill said.
St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston also had a busy weekend. Spokesman Russ Donahue said the hospital’s emergency room saw a “significant spike” in flu cases, with some sick patients admitted to the hospital. That rush of cases continued through Christmas and into Thursday.
In an effort to prevent the spread of flu, St. Mary’s medical practices are encouraging flu patients who call not to come in. Instead, they are advising people over the phone and sending very sick patients to the emergency room.
Sears expects the flu to spread more after the holidays as travelers return home and children go back to school.
He urges people to get flu shots now.
“It’s not too late,” he said.
He also urges those who are sick to stay home, wash their hands often and cough into their sleeves, not their hands.
Flu symptoms include sore throat, cough, fever, body aches, stuffy nose and headache.
The worst of the flu typically lasts for five days, Sears said. The cough associated with it can last another week or two.
The flu season typically lasts from Thanksgiving to the end of March in Maine, Sears said, with the worst of it over a six-week to two-month period.
H3N2 is different from H3N2v, a new strain of swine flu for which there is no vaccine.
That virus spreads from pigs to humans. A couple of cases of that flu were reported in Maine last year.
Bring out the anti-vaccine nuts
Heh scroll up :)
I can say with my whole heart that I can see where some people are coming from with certain vacciness. However, it is totally, unacceptable to not vaccinate your children. Im not talking about a flu shot Im talking about things like measels, mumps, whopping cough, and etc etc. I cannot express how angry, it makes me that parents go out of their way to not vaccinate their children. It’s disgusting. Oh, you read somewhere that they cause autism? Yeah, okay. Why aren’t we all walking around with it? And why dont my children have it!? Why doesnt every child? There’s no proof behind that statement. Wanna know where there is proof? That vaccines work! They save lives. You wanna blame your child having autism on vaccines that’s fine but guess what. At least he isn’t dead over something that could have been prevented by a simple shot.
I can say with my whole heart that I can see where some people are coming from with certain vacciness. However, it is totally, unacceptable to not vaccinate your children. Im not talking about a flu shot Im talking about things like measels, mumps, whopping cough, and etc etc. I cannot express how angry, it makes me that parents go out of their way to not vaccinate their children. It’s disgusting. Oh, you read somewhere that they cause autism? Yeah, okay. Why aren’t we all walking around with it? And why dont my children have it!? Why doesnt every child? There’s no proof behind that statement. Wanna know where there is proof? That vaccines work! They save lives. You wanna blame your child having autism on vaccines that’s fine but guess what. At least he isn’t dead over something that could have been prevented by a simple shot.
I believe it was Andrew Wakefield, former British doctor, who produced one of the studies. He managed to get his medical license yanked by the British Government.
The vaccination/autism alleged link has been totally discredited.
The autism doesn’t come from normal vacinations; it’s when little babies get about 10 vacinations all at once. Just use common sense about it and spread them out some.
Not so.
Why even take the chance with a little baby? They get too many shots all in the same day. It is just too much all at once.
Says who? Why is it too many? Because it FEELS like too many?
I’m glad you’re not my parent…
Glad you’re not mine! Vaccines save children’s lives…
Don’t mind hophead and Gopher, they are government trolls on this board all the time and most likely work for the pharmaceutical industry
Government troll? If you’ve read any of my posts you’ll note I’m no fan of the government and their mismanagement of just about everything. That vaccines protect from illness is simply a FACT. Vaccines causing autism is a known fabrication. Yet many prefer stories to fact.
P.S. Notice the increase in pertussis outbreaks lately? We’re approaching the lower limit of herd immunity thanks to hysterical parents. (yet there is no decrease in autism rates).
Note that most have been vaccinated against pertussis. Also, whooping cough is making a comeback and most that have it have been vaccinated. Go figure!
Pertussis and whooping cough are the same thing.
Ah yes, nothing like a bit of paranoia mixed in. You do George Orwell proud,
JL.
Evidence does not support this. Babies are exposed to trillions — trillions! — of bacteria daily. The elements of vaccines come nowhere near that number. Vaccinating a baby according to the schedule recommended by the CDC is not taking a chance; it’s providing a measure of insurance against illnesses that can lead to brain damage and death. Not vaccinating your child appropriately — or even worse, not at all — is taking a chance for your child’s health as well as all of those around you and your family who have weakened immune systems. People who don’t vaccinate themselves and/or their children fail to recognize the potential death sentence they’ve imposed on immuncompromised people — cancer patients, for example — based on erroneous information and the flat-out false blather proferred by Jenny McCarthy and Oprah.
No it doesnt and for crying out loud, how can 3 people “like” this post!
Thank you for contributing to the downfall of society.
This is absolutely false, not to mention dangerous. Please get your facts straight. How about some sources for your information? And please don’t cite Oprah, Jenny McCarthy, or Dr. Bob.
So where do you stand on chickenpox vaccine? Heartwarming compassion or complete disgust? Pox now or shingles later? How about finding the middle ground, the one that takes into account the health risks of each particular disease and vaccine (some still contain mercury, for example), and balances it with the fact that the CDC, the pharmaceutical companies, and the corporate media all are making $$ off of the production and marketing of these vaccines.
I’d suggest doing some research yourself if you are so angry instead of making uneducated blanket statements. But the masses will still “like” your rant, I’m sure. We’re all being trained to choose a side.
And I’d recommend that you and others also refrain from angry, and less informed pronouncements. Granted, we should all intelligently weigh the respective risks. With chicken pox/shingles, it’s more the matter of pox AND shingles, which can be common. I’ve oprted out–for now–of the shingle vaccine. We’ll see. At least i won’t be infecting anyone else. I did have the flue shot.
The CDC is a government agency: it doesn’t make any money. And the profit margin on vaccines is small compared to other drugs (diet pills, hair pills, cholesterol pills, impotence pills). Funny, looking at the types of drugs pharma makes the most money on, it’s amazing we don’t realize that to find the problem, all we have to do is look in the mirror.
It’s actually IF pox now, THEN shingles later. Get vaccinated, unlikely to get chicken pox, very unlikely to get shingles. My husband and I had chickenpox in the 1940s, well before the vaccine. He had a hellaciously painful and long-lasting (months) bout of shingles several years ago. We invested in the anti-shingles shot when it came out.
Keep your fingers out of bodily crevices, wash your hands and most importantly STAY HOME if you’re sick.
Like that’s an option for most.
If it’s not, then it should be. Viruses would be less widespread.
Are you going to pay my day’s wages when I have no vacation time or sick time to use?
I’m not disagreeing with you. I get 3 sick days per year…One bout with the flu could easily take up 2 or 3.
No offense but…don’t use up all your time? If you are that sick, that often…you may have bigger issues.
not everyone gets the benefits of paid days off for being sick or vacations…
Good grief, I hope the first one is!!
The latest flu vaccine does not cover the H3N2v strain. So why on earth would I get it?
Lol can you read? Perhaps this might clear things up:
“Since 2009, the predominant flu strain has been H1N1. This year, the principal strain is H3N2v. Although the flu vaccine protects against both, plus a third strain…”
Sorry to upset you. My mistake. About half of my extended family has influenza (diagnosed in the ER), and several of them did get vaccinated a month ago.
A diagnosis in the ER is nowhere near 100% accurate. I’ve been misdiagnosed more than once. Also, the flu shot doesn’t mean you’re totally immune to getting the flu. That being said, your extended family got hit pretty hard. I hope they all get better soon.
Doesn’t what? Not that I care. You obviously have a mean streak and will disagree with anything. Sorry again to have upset you — and we’re way off the topic.
Welcome to the internet. Mean streak? Not exactly. I guess i just have little patience for misinformation that could put other peoples’ health at risk. The last thing we need are more people informing others that flu shots are pointless and not to get them.
Stay mean, man.
Your immunity without the vaccine = 0%. So even if the vaccine is partially effective, it is better than nothing.
I’ve been getting the flu shot every year since 1995 (when I skipped and was absolutely floored with a case) and have been flu-free ever since.
By the way, people call many things the “flu”, but they are not influenza. If you’re better in 3-5 days, it isn’t the flu.
The only time I have ever had a flu vaccine was in 2010 (swine flu nasal spray) and I was sick for over a month. I’ll never be convinced to try any of them again, but I respect others’ opinions!
This is another population misconception: You got sick after being vaccinated, so it must’ve been the flu shot that made you sick. Subsequence does not equal consequence. The flu vaccine takes 10 to 14 days to take effect. You may have been exposed to a virus — and not a flu virus at all — in the days before or immediately after the vaccine.
The doctors agreed it was the vaccine that made me sick. Sorry to disappoint you.
According to this article, it says it lasts 2-3 days… for the worst of it. With coughing lasting up to two weeks – so what are you talking about? I am all for anyone who wants to skip the shots to do so. It’s their body and it’s their right to not put something in them or in their children that they don’t feel comfortable doing. Sorry – but NO ONE should have any reason to push this on anyone…
For the worst of it…but the symptoms are quite bad for a full week (muscle aches last for a while, in particular).
I’m not for pushing the flu vaccine on anyone, but I don’t have a lot of sympathy for those who skip the shot and then get sick.
As for other childhood diseases, I couldn’t disagree more. Children need to be protected from ignorant parents.
“I am all for anyone who wants to skip the shots to do so”
translates to
“I am all for anyone who wants to skip the shots to expose themselves and their infectious diseases to people with weak immune systems, including the very young and the very old, and people undergoing cancer treatment, and I’m OK with them exposing these weakened people to the risk of brain damage and death.”
No, it’s not your right to inflict crackpot beliefs on everyone else.
You must not have read the entire article. Nowhere does it state that it does not cover the H3N2v strain. It does, in fact, say this:
“Since 2009, the predominant flu strain has been H1N1. This year, the
principal strain is H3N2v. Although the flu vaccine protects against
both, plus a third strain, people who don’t get vaccinated don’t have a
good natural immunity to this year’s predominant strain because it
hasn’t been around in a while, Sears said.”
Again — sorry. I made a mistake. I just know that several of my family members who tested positive for influenza were vaccinated this fall.
It’s ok, greatnotion…I wanted to be sure the error didn’t get out of hand. There are plenty on here who only read a sentence or two and then form incorrect opinions.
Alot of work places don’t allow you to not work unless you have a Dr.’s note- true- I work in one. 3 strikes- you’re out. So people are coming to work sick- making other employees sick- and the public. There’s no way around it.
There’s no way around it besides going to the doctor’s office and getting a note.
I hear ya man. Gotta make the Company money, sickness is no excuse.
How does one tell the difference between the flu (any strain) and a cold? Symptoms sound pretty much the same to me.
The biggest difference would be a fever and body aches with the flu that don’t usually occur with a common cold, along with other more severe cold like symptoms…..if you have the above symptoms with vomiting and diarrhea then a worse case of the flu…..
High fever that last several days (never had that with a cold), bad body aches, and frequently (but not always) a bad sore throat. But the key is fever and aches and a long illness period (a week of not being able to function). Most people who think they have the flu don’t.
actually fevers can occur with a cold. my son caught his first cold at 18 months and caused him to spike fevers for days (also causing febrile seizures) the aches in combination with the long illness and other symptoms would be key. of course anyone who gets a cold and strep on top of it would demonstrate the majority of these flu symptoms, pretty much all of them except for body aches… :/
Usually you spend
a lot of time on the commode too. AKA the Porcelain Throne.
If you’re walking around and laughing and telling people you have the flu between sniffles, you don’t have the flu.
We got the flu vaccine first week of October. Husband got sick with flu December 14, high sustained fever, severe aches, deep wheezing cough. Major symptoms lasted 11 days: secondary infections continuing, now at 16 days since onset, antibiotics for sinus infection & bronchitis, which are still causing a lot of pain & discomfort. Has not recovered energy still. Apparently this flu is NOT included in the vaccine! He wanted to ask for his money back, but since it happened to be free with our health insurance, I guess he got what he paid for ;-)
Anyway, first time he had to stay home from work for an entire week, but then I was ready to take him to the hospital if he hadn’t turned the corner on the fever after 5 days of it. Nasty stuff. Please stay home- it’s not worth your life or that of others (infecting the elderly, &/orimmune deficient people)
I did not have the flu shot and was sick for about three weeks now that I’m better should I have the flu shot does anybody know?
Did you have the flu? If yes, then I wouldn’t bother. If no, then go for it.
It is never too late to be vaccinated for the flu; typically, the state CDC urges people to be vaccinated as soon as possible, even if it’s late in the season. Contact your provider for the best advice. What you had may very well not have been the flu.
dhs should be alerted to the child dying
It was a division of DHS that made the announcement.
The article has a problem regarding the naming of the seasonal influenza virus predominant strain. The article said that it is the A(H3N2) virus ”variant”. This ”variant” is a denomination used by the US CDC for animal virus jumped to humans, as swine flu, for example. So these reassortants are called influenza virus ‘variant’: such as H1N1v, H1N2v, H3N2v: human/avian/swine reassortants. If the circulating viruses in the State is a type A H3 it should be stated as clear as possible. The human influenza A H3N2 strain is included in the trivalent vaccine formulation. In contrast, H3N2v virus of swine origin not. Further, the seasonal shot will not protect people since the hemagglutinin is too much distantly related to the H3N2v to confer a heterotypic immunity. Please clarify this point for a correct information to the public.
Got our familes already and have many friends who are sick with it.
Been there, had this and it sucked! I should also add that I got the flu vaccine on a Friday, and I was sicker than a dog come Monday morning–misery for a full week.
If you are coughing, aching and feeling like crap, you have the flu or a cold. Why are these people going to the emergency room? Are we nothing but a bunch of wimps? You have the flu, get some rest and in a few days, you will be all better.
Good way to lose weight.