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Cold/flu season appears to be winding down Are you finally shaking those nagging influenza-like symptoms and pesky head colds that swept through Gulf Breeze the past two months, seemingly lingering forever? Chances are, you or someone you know has been afflicted with the flu or symptoms close to it. Doctors' offices steadily have been treating flu and cold patients. For the week ending March 7, Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola reported that it treated 431 patients for flu-like symptoms. That was down from the season high of 481 during the week of Feb. 15. The most recent test results show that 23 percent of the patients tested were positive for the influenza virus. "That is a high number of flu cases in one week," said Donna Mayne, Microbiology Lab Manager at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. "Flu activity is still strong in our area with an unusually high number of influenza B cases." Common symptoms include fever, sneezing, headaches, congestion, coughing and fatigue. "We have seen a good bit" of activity, said Shannon Jacobs, Director of the Santa Rosa County Health Department. "We are still urging people to get their flu shots. Those who are experiencing symptoms, we want them to take care of themselves and not spread it to other people." Jacobs said a variety of respiratory illnesses have been circulating throughout the county and region. He said the relatively warm autumn and mild winter of 2008-09 might have given some citizens a false sense of security. "It seems like earlier in the fall it was a little bit warmer, and sometimes that weather does have an effect on whether people get a flu shot," Jacobs said. "It shouldn't (be a factor), but a lot of times people think, 'Oh, it's not cold, so I don't necessarily need to go get one yet.' "With the flu shot, the Center for Disease Control and the manufacturers look at the different strains and decide which strain is going to be the most aggressive. They don't necessarily know; it's more of an educated guess each year. Sometimes you take the vaccine, and another strain comes through and you'll get cases of the flu." The recessionary economy might also have caused people to choose against getting a flu shot. "This year is definitely not a supply problem," Jacobs said. "I think it is the economy. At the Santa Rosa Health Department, it only costs $20 a shot while some of the providers charge $25 or $30. People are having difficulties, losing their jobs. That's just another expense they think they can do without." |
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