As experts warned, a severe flu season is arriving early. Here’s what it means in Hampton Roads.
The percentage of medical visits for influenza-like illnesses is three times the rate of what it usually is at this time of year, according to data published by the Virginia Department of Health.
“We are seeing concerning signs that this year’s flu season may look worse than what we’ve seen in recent years,” Dr. Lisa Thanjan of the health department said.
Usually at this time of year, about 2% of emergency departments and urgent care clinics are for influenza-like illnesses, whereas it is now nearly 7% — a number that has not been seen before late December over the past five years, according to VDH data.
The presence of flu-like illnesses in Virginia is ranked at 10 out of 13 based on data from the week ending Oct. 29, according to the report. The state used various data to determine the flu burden, according to Thanjan.
A similar spike in emergency department and urgent care clinics occurred in the 2019 and 2021 flu seasons, but both spikes occurred nine weeks later than this year, according to the VDH data. The flu is an illness that should not be underestimated, Thanjan said. Annually, flu is estimated by the CDC to have caused 12,000 to 52,000 deaths and 140,000 to 710,000 hospitalizations annually in the 2010s.
The situation this year is complicated by a resurgence of RSV, which has been in a lull over previous years because of COVID-19 precautions and the enduring presence of coronavirus. All these are affecting school attendance and contributing to long waits at medical centers.
Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters is experiencing a surge of patients at all its facilities for respiratory infections, Dr. Christopher Foley, chief medical officer, said in a public service video. When the hospital’s urgent care center in Newport News opened one day last week, almost 30 people were waiting in line.
“These patients are often not that sick. Many times they can be cared for at home, they can be cared for with fluids, rest, acetaminophen,” Foley said in the video. “If your child is having difficulty breathing, they’re turning blue, they’re turning gray, they’re having pauses in their breathing, they have extraordinarily high fever, they’re not drinking and not eating, they’re having difficulty with staying awake — those are things that would make you much more concerned. You may have to call your pediatrician or call 911 if they’re turning blue.”
He said they are seeing cases of flu, RSV, COVID-19 and regular cold viruses and have asked for families to be patient as the facility will prioritize those who are sickest.
Schools have been reaching out to parents, whether by newsletters such as the Virginia Beach City Public School or by automated calls by Hampton City Schools, to remind parents to keep sick children home and get vaccinated against the flu, as well as about cough etiquette and the importance of properly washing one’s hands.
“We are seeing a lot of absences and illness, mainly from respiratory” sickness, said Julie Braley, a spokesperson for Virginia Beach schools.
A Christian middle school in Richmond closed for two days after an outbreak of a flu-like illness and held classes online, according to reporting by TV station WRIC.
The trend of increasing flu-like illness cases is not only happening in Virginia but across the southern mid-Atlantic states and the South, and it’s increasing in the North, West and West Coast, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
The CDC uses a scale of 1-13 to characterize the level of flu activity in a state. Virginia was in level 11, along with North Carolina, Maryland, New York City and Texas. The first pediatric death after the flu this season was recorded last week.
The CDC and Thanjan recommend getting flu vaccines as the Southern Hemisphere, which experiences its flu season before ours, saw an early uptick in Chile of a certain variant that is already the most regular in U.S. flu cases, according to an Oct. 28 morbidity and mortality weekly report by the CDC. Experts had also looked to signs in Australia about the U.S. having the flu season hit earlier and harder than previous years.
“Their most recent flu season began earlier than during pre-pandemic seasons, which is what it is looking like for us well,” she said.
Ian Munro, ian.munro@virginiamedia.com
