Alabama flu cases spike as people celebrate holidays

Patrick Camp, The Cullman Times, Ala.
Updated ·2 min read

Dec. 27—New reports from the Alabama Department of Public Health show Alabamians have been spreading more than holiday cheer this season. Cases of the flu and other respiratory illnesses account for nearly 10% of all emergency department visits.

The most recent data reported to Alabama's Syndromic Surveillance Program shows more than six and a half percent of emergency room visits in the State were due to Influenza-like illnesses the week ending Dec. 16. Another three percent were reported cases of both RSV and COVID-19.

Nurse Practitioner Paula Creel said more than 80 patients had visited Alabama Urgent Care on Cherokee Ave. Cullman. just before noon Tuesday, Dec. 26. She said the majority of those cases were respiratory illnesses.

Creel said she hasn't seen flu numbers this high in more than a year. ADPH reported influenza cases accounted for just two percent of ER visits during the same time period last year.

She said it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of the recent spike, but it is possible that people have begun to be less apprehensive about social and work gatherings as they become more distanced from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We haven't seen hardly any flu cases in about a year. It just hit all of a sudden. I don't know if people were still kind of distancing some because of the pandemic and they have just suddenly gotten more comfortable with gathering. I know people are finding it difficult to stay home and missing work when they are sick. People just can't afford to take off work and when it gets into those workplaces, it just spreads like wildfire," Creel said.

Luckily, early signs from the Center for Disease Control suggest current vaccines are well-matched to this year's influenza strain, which doesn't cause as many deaths or hospitalizations as some other strains. However, less than half of U.S. adults have reported receiving a flu shot by the first week of December. Last week, the CDC took measures to urge doctors to encourage immunizations for the flu, Covid and RSV to their patients.

Creel said with the past weekend being a busy one for family gatherings she expects local flu cases to continue to rise during the next several weeks.

"We're predicting this week is going to be pretty busy," Creel said. "I do think with all of the Christmas gatherings and everything, it's definitely going to start showing this week."