Heather Yakin: Coronavirus gets headlines, but watch out for the flu
With all the news about the novel coronavirus strain in China, you may not have heard that the U.S. flu season is peaking.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the week ending Jan. 25 (these things always lag a week), 49 states and Puerto Rico reported widespread flu-like illness, and 44 jurisdictions reported high levels of flu-like illness. The 44 is up from 37 jurisdictions the prior week.
The good news is that so far this season, the severity of the flu, in terms of hospitalizations and deaths, hasn't been high as compared to other years.
The CDC estimates there have been between 180,000-310,000 hospitalizations and 10,000-25,000 deaths from the flu.
New York state recorded 15,012 confirmed positive lab tests for influenza for the week ending Jan. 25, up 11 percent from the week before. So it's going around.
You can still get a flu shot, if you haven't.
I know, last season's flu vaccine was not a great match for the major circulating virus: the H3N2 strain people caught had drifted genetically from the vaccine strain. This season's vaccine matches the circulating strains.
Of course, right now more people are talking about the novel coronavirus strain that has emerged in China.
I know, I know, we tend to freak out about these things. People in the U.S. absolutely flipped during the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014-16, even though it posed a very minimal threat here. By the way, there's an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo with about 3,300 cases and about a 64 percent fatality rate, according to the World Health Organization.
But what's happening in China has rightfully caught the attention of epidemiologists and governments across the globe. This novel coronavirus has sickened at least 20,471 people in China, with the lion's share in Hubei Province, home to the city of Wuhan; and 20,647 worldwide, according to the WHO. As of Tuesday morning, China had counted 427 deaths caused by the new respiratory illness. About 80 percent of the fatalities were in people aged 60 or older, and about three-quarters of the people who died had underlying health conditions.
On one hand, in the early days of a new communicable disease, doctors see the sickest people. As awareness spreads, less-sick people will proactively seek out medical treatment, and more doctors know to look for the new illness.
On the other hand, we don't yet have a clear picture of severity, and even an illness like influenza, which has a very low fatality rate but massive spread, causes thousands of deaths annually just in the U.S.
So although just 11 cases of the new virus have popped up in the U.S., officials have ordered quarantine of travelers just arrived from China, and the U.S. State Department issued a “do not travel” advisory for China. The CDC has sought emergency approval for a rapid test for the new virus so the agency can ship it to labs across the country. Is it overreaction? Maybe.
But at any rate, it's flu season, so follow the standard protocols. Wash your hands frequently. Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough. Limit contact with people who are ill, or with others if you're ill. Stay home if you're sick.
When it comes to communicable diseases, sharing is most definitely not caring.
On Twitter @HeatherYakin845