As we enter the new year, a local Ascension St. Vincent’s doctor is urging the community to take steps to protect themselves and their families, citing a rise in flu cases and the identification of a new variant.
Dr. Pauline Rolle, medical director of pediatrics and primary care for Ascension St. Vincent’s, confirmed a recent increase in flu cases across the United States. There has been a substantial increase across local counties with the primary concern being a newly identified "K subclade" variant of Influenza A. Of the influenza cases across the country, 89.5% belong to subclade K.
“This is the variant that was seen over in the UK and caused a surge of more serious influenza this season,” Rolle said. “K Subclade has the potential to make people sicker and seems to be spreading more easily, and medical experts are very concerned that more people would get influenza.”
Despite the new variant being identified after the current flu shot was designed, Rolle noted that predictive models suggest the vaccine is still very effective.
“The current vaccine appears to offer some protections against this new variant,” she said. “We think that people would have less severe illness.”
Rolle strongly recommends the flu shot for everyone six months and up who is an appropriate candidate.
“Now is the right time to jump on it,” she advised, noting that it’s never too late in the season to get the vaccine.
Rolle stressed the difference between a common cold and the flu. While a cold presents with sniffles and cough, influenza can have those symptoms plus others and tends to hit “very strongly” and can sometimes cause people to be bedridden for a week or more.
“People kind of liken it to being hit by a train,” she explained that symptoms can include body aches, headache and fever, sometimes reaching 103 or 104 degrees.
The groups most at risk for serious complications are the elderly, infants, those with chronic conditions and those with immunocompromise.
Where to seek care:
Rolle emphasized several measures to prevent the spread of flu and other respiratory diseases:
“Ascension believes in meeting patients where they are, respecting their vaccine choices,” according to a press release from the hospital. “We take a patient-centered approach to vaccination discussions, providing evidence-based education while respecting individual health care decisions. We recommend patients consider getting the flu vaccine based on their personalized care plan. Individuals who have compromised immune systems, or chronic medical conditions, including asthma, diabetes or heart disease need to prioritize speaking with their primary care doctor about whether to get the flu vaccine.”
