Flu infections in Sedgwick County begin to decline, but remain high. See the latest
Flu infections are higher this year than they have been in previous years, and Kansas has been a part of that trend.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports Kansas in the “very high” range of influenza infections, as of Dec. 17, one of the highest categories for influenza-like illnesses.
Sedgwick County has felt this impact.
According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s dashboard, the latest numbers from the week beginning Dec. 18 show 3.3% of emergency department visits in the county were flu related. That same week, all acute respiratory illnesses counted for 21% of all emergency visits.
Statewide, Kansas reached 5.7% influenza-related emergency visits and 21.3% acute respiratory illness visits the same week.
“The influenza activity does remain high, but the monitoring has shown a slight decline over the last few weeks, we’ll see if that continues. If that does, we know we reached our peak,” Adrienne Byrne, Sedgwick County Health Department director, said.
Byrne said the county has not seen a flu season this bad in recent years.
The CDC estimates the U.S. has seen at least 18 million infections so far this season. Nationwide, there has been a total of 47 reported influenza deaths, which is higher than last year at 44 and the year before, which only had one reported death.
“The last couple years the flu cases were really minimal, and we of course attribute that to all the precautions that the majority of people were doing to prevent COVID,” Byrne said.
According to the CDC, flu season includes fall and winter, but the influenza virus can usually be detected year-round in the U.S.
How to prevent flu infections
While flu activity is decreasing, case number still remain high, so it’s important to prevent the spread of the virus.
“We’ll cross our fingers that those numbers going down will continue to decrease,” Byrne said.
If you get infected with the flu, the Sedgwick County Health Department recommends:
- Stay home for five days after symptoms begin, or 24 hours fever-free
- Clean and disinfect surfaces
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
- Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze
- Wash your hands with soap and water
Anyone six months and older can receive the updated flu vaccine.
