(WJW) – If you haven’t felt it yourself, you probably know someone who has: sneezing, coughing, and feeling downright awful.
Flu season is here and Ohio it is among the states with the highest number of influenza cases in the nation.
Flu-related illnesses, emergency room visits and hospitalizations have increased throughout Ohio, especially in the southwestern part of the state.
The rise in cases here in Northeast Ohio is worrying doctors. They are asking people to take precautions to avoid getting the flu.
“We had about 150 flu admissions in the last week at our Northeast Ohio hospitals. That’s about 56% more than the week before, so it’s increasing,” said Dr. Neha Vyas, a family medicine physician at the Cleveland Clinic.
She says more people are coming in for treatment or being admitted to hospitals for the flu, especially elderly and very young patients.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, statewide, flu-like illnesses increased 53% and emergency room visits increased 29% due to influenza.
“We are seeing an increase of about 35% in influenza cases since last year. We are seeing an increase in influenza right now. Last year, we saw this kind of sharp increase, but then the Omicron variant of COVID seemed to take over around this time,” Dr. Vyas said.
A CDC map shows Ohio in the purple range, the highest level on the map. Indicates a very high level of influenza, along with several other states.
So far this season, the state health department shows Northeast Ohio with 108 flu-associated hospitalizations.
Currently, the Dayton and Cincinnati areas are hardest hit, with hundreds of people hospitalized in the southwestern part of the state.
Compared to last year, Northeast Ohio had nearly 350 flu-related hospitalizations for the entire season.
The 2020 to 2021 season only saw seven, mainly because people were wearing masks and taking other precautions due to COVID.
But in the year before COVID, more than 2,700 Northeast Ohioans were treated for the flu at one hospital.
“The flu usually presents with fever, chills, body aches, headache, and congestion,” Dr. Vyas said.
Dr. Vyas says that as of Monday, the positivity rate at Cleveland Clinic hospitals in our area was 30% and 43% among children.
“This increase is similar to the pattern Australia had for its flu season. There was a sharp rise and then it was followed by a sharp decline, so we’ll see if this holds true for our trajectory as well,” said Dr. Vyas.
Dr. Vyas says it’s very important to get a flu shot, and there’s still time to get vaccinated before heading to the holiday gatherings. The vaccine takes about two weeks to take effect.
Health experts say that only about 26% of adults and 40% of children in the United States have received their flu shots.
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