Experts expect long, nasty flu season
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SEATTLE -- We're barely into this year's flu season and already the state Department of Health has reported three deaths related to influenza.
Two King County adult and a child from Pierce County have already died, and the number of people sick from the flu is on the rise in Snohomish County.
Getting the flu is a miserable experience, and if it hasn't already hit your house or office or child's school, experts say you should brace yourself, because it may be coming.
"We are having an early influenza season. And it's a serious influenza season and we've had a definite up tick in hospitalization," said Tim McDonald with the Snohomish Health District.
So far this season, Snohomish County hospitals have treated 52 people for the flu. During the same time last year, that number was four. It was zero the year before.
"It's a new strain, new to our population," McDonald said.
The increasing flu numbers aren't unique to the Pacific Northwest, either. The east coast, especially the southeast, has also been slammed. The flu will continue to spread into March.
Chances are you will come into contact with the flu bug at some point, but there are ways to avoid getting sick.
"I would urge everyone, not just for themselves, but for their friends, neighbors and relatives and their children to get vaccinated right away," McDonald said.
In addition to getting vaccinated, everyone should make sure to wash their hands often and keep sanitizer handy. And those who do get sick should stay home so they don't spread those germs to anyone else.
There is still plenty of vaccine available, and you can get it from your pharmacist, doctor's office or local health district. The vaccine costs about $15 for kids and $30 for adults, but in many cases you can apply for a reduced fee.
Two King County adult and a child from Pierce County have already died, and the number of people sick from the flu is on the rise in Snohomish County.
Getting the flu is a miserable experience, and if it hasn't already hit your house or office or child's school, experts say you should brace yourself, because it may be coming.
"We are having an early influenza season. And it's a serious influenza season and we've had a definite up tick in hospitalization," said Tim McDonald with the Snohomish Health District.
So far this season, Snohomish County hospitals have treated 52 people for the flu. During the same time last year, that number was four. It was zero the year before.
"It's a new strain, new to our population," McDonald said.
The increasing flu numbers aren't unique to the Pacific Northwest, either. The east coast, especially the southeast, has also been slammed. The flu will continue to spread into March.
Chances are you will come into contact with the flu bug at some point, but there are ways to avoid getting sick.
"I would urge everyone, not just for themselves, but for their friends, neighbors and relatives and their children to get vaccinated right away," McDonald said.
In addition to getting vaccinated, everyone should make sure to wash their hands often and keep sanitizer handy. And those who do get sick should stay home so they don't spread those germs to anyone else.
There is still plenty of vaccine available, and you can get it from your pharmacist, doctor's office or local health district. The vaccine costs about $15 for kids and $30 for adults, but in many cases you can apply for a reduced fee.
Man I hope I'm not at the beginning of this one. Â I just got over being sick for two months. Â First with mycoplasma pneumonia and then with a typical cold that turned into a sinus infection and bronchitis. Â I am really quite done with being sick but I guess that comes with the territory when you have to take immunomodulators (aka immunosuppresants at lower doses). Â But the hit by truck feeling and body aches I have right now are telling me that I'm probably screwed.
I have asthma and when I get the flu, it is really serious. Please stay home if you have the flu!
Just so everyone is aware, the current (new) vaccine does NOT cover the new flu virus. Â What the new vaccine does do, is INCREASE your chances of getting the flu virus (from whatever type of flu virus they put into the vaccine). Â
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Do yourself a favor and read up on flu vaccines and what that really means to your body, etc.  Those that die due to the flu usually have other health problems or are actually getting pneumonia (which is lumped into the same category as influenza when a death is reported). Â
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 @Landshark Maybe you will like THIS one better.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22529-new-vaccine-may-give-lifelong-protection-from-flu.html
Lmao!! Â "It's a new strain, new to our population," McDonald said.
Really?? Â How many of you have had a flu shot?? Â I should be dead now, considering I haven't had one in over 20 years. Â When I did have one, I was the sickest I've been. Â
Now I just treat the symptoms before they become bronchitis or pneumonia.  Guaifenesin to keep the lungs clear, and Phenylephrine or Pseudoephedrine to keep the sinuses clear.  Dextromethorphan for cough suppressant.  Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen as needed. Â
Take some Vitamin D!!  I guarantee that you are lacking some.  Get your blood checked.  Eat healthy to boost your immune system!
@Hueski -- HERE! HERE!   Had a flu shot once and I was totally down for the count. Worked into pneumonia that lasted and additional two weeks on top of that. I vowed, Never, EVER to get one again.
I do my best to take preventative measures, much like Hueski mentioned. I may have a cold, here and there, often just lasting a day or so but nothing like the flu shot flu / pnuemonia I had a few years ago.
The holiday season with shopping in crowded malls and being around little ones makes it not so surprising that flu would spike now. Sometimes it pays to be a bit of a hermit. Can't remember the last time I was sick. I have an iron clad immune system, but that would not help if it was a strain like the famed Spanish flu in the early 1900's. Called that because they were the only country to tell their citizens the truth about it. It caused a "cytokine storm" in the body. That means the better your immune system the more likely it was to kill you.
What symptoms is everyone having? Â My wife and I have had fevers above 102 for going on 3 days (getting better now). Â Lots of coughing, runny nose, wattery eyes, achey body, but no vomiting or "other stuff" Â I am just hoping this is it and not something else and that we are not going to get the real thing later.Â
 @The206 High fever (our kids were all above 104 at some point, my husband and I were closer to 102-103), aching, congestion, really bad cough. Our 16 month old was coughing so much he was vomiting, he ended up on steroids and breathing treatments.Â
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The "flu" is generally a respiratory thing. Vomiting and "other stuff" are usually caused by a different virus. (which our family was lucky enough to catch right at the tail end of the flu.) Hope you and your wife start feeling better soon.Â
 @LunchWithABear  @The206 You can still get the "other stuff" with the flu just from all the crap you end up swallowing out of your head.  I usually get gut problems every time I get a cold.
 @LunchWithABear Good to know.  Thank you.  I guess we can be thankful that it seems at least we have it and should not be expecting something worse later in the season.  I did just see that vomiting is usually more common in children.  So for now we will just wait it out and keep pumpin the fluids.Â
Doesn't surprise me to hear that this strain is new to our area. My husband and I don't normally get the flu, but we got this one and it wiped us (and all 3 of our kids) out. Our 16 month old needed a little help fighting it off, as it developed into a couple different infections for him. We don't get flu vaccines in our home, and don't plan on starting, but I will say that parents should keep an extra close eye on their little ones with this strain. It comes with a nasty cough and high fever that can turn bad quickly.Â
This year's flu shot is well adapted to cover this year's flu strain. Everyone should get the vaccination. It may not prevent your getting the flu, but it can make it much less painful and shorten its duration. My son had the flu after getting the flu shot 2 months ago, but he only went through 2 days of misery.Â
Ignorance and paranoia are the only excuses for not getting the vaccination.Â
We don't hear this warning every year. Year before last, 115 kids died of flu complications. Pregnant women should get the flu vaccination to protect their unborn babies, since they can't be vaccinated until they're 6 months old.
An RN
"It's a new strain, new to our population," McDonald said.'
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As stated on the news last night, the new strain is NOT included in the NEW vaccination.
@EASTSIDE 1 That is the myth for all flu shots. It is a packaged dose of pre-existing flu viri. If you expect it to fend of the new mutations that occur each winter, you are fooling yourself.
People at my work are starting to come down with it. Some have been sick for 3 weeks now.
Is it just me, it seems like we hear this warning every year. (Avain, Swine, H1N1 ...)
Seems to me that all these warning are just lulling us to sleep so that when a real crisis comes we won't believe it until its too late. Â Â
"It's a new strain, new to our population" In other words it's not in the current flu shot, so getting the flu shot is not going to protect you from the strain of the flu that's actually going around right now. My parents both got the flu shot and both likely have the flu right now.
The flu bug takes one look and runs the other way, I guess I am to scary for it lol. I have not gotten it for a very loooong time,
 @Seattlesound2012 My husband and I hadn't either, but we did catch this year's strain. So did all three of our kids. It wasn't fun by any means, but we're over it now for the most part. The only one who had trouble fighting it was our baby. It turned into a couple different infections for him that we had to deal with. They're right, it is new and it is nasty... still doesn't make me want to go get a flu shot, however.Â
 @Seattlesound2012 Better knock on wood.
 @Seattlesound2012 Now you did it... you're going to show up with the flu tomorrow.
"It's a new strain, new to our population," McDonald said."Â And yet the touted "Flu Shot" will protect you! Not. If they don't know the strain, they don't have the antibodies to make a vaccination. What MIGHT help, is if everyone (especially the ones on my bus) who are sick, would either stay HOME, or learn to cover their mouths and noses when they sneeze or hack up a lung in PUBLIC. Use common sense people. If you're sick, stay home. However, if you're like most of us, and can't AFFORD to stay home, do everything you can to protect those around you from getting what you're packing around. Please?
@Wolfen Absolutly agree!!! Myself, as well as my family get the flu shot every year, but we are just getting over this horrible flu. The shot didn't help a bit. We all felt like death.
 @Wolfen Um... you don't seem to understand how and why vaccinations work. They are not injecting you with ANTIBODIES... they are injecting you with weakened LIVE FLU VIRUS so that YOU will generate antibodies!
 @slappywag They have not used live virus in flu vaccine since the early days. It is a killed virus, it can't make you sick, but it still stimulates your body to produce antibodies. It is not effective for 2 weeks after you've had the shot, though. It takes your body just as long to gear up against the vaccine as it does the real flu. So don't expect to get the shot and be protected right away.
 @slappywag The injection is DEAD virus, only the nasal spray contains live virus and even that doesn't cause you to actually catch it.
 @slappywag  @Wolfen And yet, since it's a new strain, how would they have the live virus in time to put it in this year's flu shot?  A better written article probably would clear that up.
Well now, I don't have to worry about this anymore... been there and done that! Â Just got over the darn thing. Â