SICK. IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE? TODD WELL, JESSICA AND KATIE, IT IS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE. DOCTORS SAY IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO GET THE FLU SHOT. THEY ALSO RECOMMEND WEARING A MASK WHEN NECESSARY. AND PEOPLE WE SPOKE WITH IN THE CITY THIS MORNING KNOW FIRSTHAND THAT THE SEVERITY OF FLU AND OTHER ILLNESSES IS VERY HIGH RIGHT NOW. I HAD I WAS ABOUT 4 OR 5 WEEKS AGO, INFLUENZA A, HOW BAD WAS IT? IT WASN’T BAD AT ALL BECAUSE I HAD MY I DID GET VACCINATED ON THE STREETS OF BOSTON, PEOPLE ARE BUNDLED UP TO KEEP OUT THE COLD AND THE FLU. MY KIDS HAD AND TURNED INTO PNEUMONIA, SO IT WAS PRETTY SERIOUS. THAT’S WHY I WEAR A MASK. ACCORDING TO THE MOST RECENT DATA FROM MASS D.P.H LABORATORY, CONFIRMED INFLUENZA CASES JUMPED FROM ABOUT 500 AT THE BEGINNING OF DECEMBER TO MORE THAN 9500 AT THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY. WASTEWATER DATA ALSO SHOW AN UPWARD TREND FOR INFLUENZA. IT’S NOT SURPRISING TO SEE A SURGE THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. WE HAVE SEEN THAT. BUT WHAT IS SURPRISING THIS TIME AROUND IS THE NUMBER. I THINK THERE ARE MULTIPLE FACTORS THAT IS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS. DOCTOR SANDEEP JUBBAL, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT UMASS MEMORIAL, SAYS THE COLD TEMPERATURES ACCOUNT FOR ONLY ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THE SPIKE IN CASES. THE VACCINATION RATES HAVE BEEN ALWAYS AN ISSUE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO FLU. DOCTOR JUBBAL IS PREDICTING THE SURGE WILL SUBSIDE IN ANOTHER FEW WEEKS. IN THE MEANTIME, PEOPLE ARE DOING WHAT THEY CAN TO STAY WARM AND HEALTHY. WHEN I’M ON THE TRAIN, I’LL WEAR A MASK. SOMETIMES DURING THESE MONTHS. SO YOU’VE BEEN HEALTHY SO FAR. WHAT’S YOUR SECRET? I DON’T KNOW. VITAMINS, I GUESS. DPH SAYS THE NUMBER OF INFLUENZA DEATHS SO FAR THIS SEASON STANDS AT 98. THAT INCLUDES FIVE CHILDREN. OF COURSE, THIS SEASON IS NOT OVER YET. THE TOTAL FOR LAST SEASON WAS 251. REPORTING LIVE IN BOSTON, TODD
Flu cases spiking in Massachusetts, health officials say
Massachusetts health care providers are seeing a sharp spike in cases of influenza this winter.Info: DPH Weekly Influenza Update | Flu signs, symptoms | Flu prevention, vaccine informationAccording to the most recent data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, laboratory-confirmed influenza cases jumped from about 500 at the beginning of December to more than 9,500 at the beginning of February. Wastewater data also show an upward trend for influenza. “It’s not surprising to see a surge this time of the year. We have seen that, but what is surprising this time around is the number. I think there are multiple factors that (are) contributing to this,” said Dr. Sandeep Jubbal, an infectious disease specialist at UMass Memorial Health.Jubbal said the cold temperatures account for only one of the reasons for the spike in cases.”The vaccination rates have been always an issue, especially when it comes to flu,” Jubbal said.Jubbal is predicting the surge will subside in a few weeks. In the meantime, people are doing what they can to stay warm and healthy.”When I’m on the train, I wear a mask,” Bob McBride, who had the flu, said. On the streets of Boston, people are bundled up to keep out the cold and the flu. “My kids have (it), and it’s turning to pneumonia, so it’s pretty serious. That’s why I’m wearing my mask,” Yaling Ma, the mother of a flu patient, said.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there have been at least 24 million illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths from flu so far this season.Video below: Mass. doctor on recent spike in flu cases
Massachusetts health care providers are seeing a sharp spike in cases of influenza this winter.
Info: DPH Weekly Influenza Update | Flu signs, symptoms | Flu prevention, vaccine information
According to the most recent data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, laboratory-confirmed influenza cases jumped from about 500 at the beginning of December to more than 9,500 at the beginning of February. Wastewater data also show an upward trend for influenza.
“It’s not surprising to see a surge this time of the year. We have seen that, but what is surprising this time around is the number. I think there are multiple factors that (are) contributing to this,” said Dr. Sandeep Jubbal, an infectious disease specialist at UMass Memorial Health.
Jubbal said the cold temperatures account for only one of the reasons for the spike in cases.
“The vaccination rates have been always an issue, especially when it comes to flu,” Jubbal said.
Jubbal is predicting the surge will subside in a few weeks. In the meantime, people are doing what they can to stay warm and healthy.
“When I’m on the train, I wear a mask,” Bob McBride, who had the flu, said.
On the streets of Boston, people are bundled up to keep out the cold and the flu.
“My kids have (it), and it’s turning to pneumonia, so it’s pretty serious. That’s why I’m wearing my mask,” Yaling Ma, the mother of a flu patient, said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there have been at least 24 million illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths from flu so far this season.
Video below: Mass. doctor on recent spike in flu cases