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Achoo, Flu's Here For You

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 21, 2008

James Orlowski, chief of pediatrics at University Community Hospital on Fletcher Avenue, said that the increase in flu-infected children this time of year is a definite cause for concern.

"We're seeing more and more hospitalized children," he said this afternoon. "February is always the worst month in Florida for the flu. We tend to lag behind the rest of the country."

This month, he said, "we are hospitalizing three to four a week. It's much greater than we usually do."

About a quarter of those in pediatrics getting flu treatment are children who have had flu shots, he said. Although that number seems high, it's well below the national average.

He said that each January, national health officials analyze the strains of flu going around and try to predict the strains that will hit the following year. From there, they order the vaccine to be delivered in the fall that treats those strains. But strains constantly are changing and reinventing themselves, he said.

"Usually the predictions are 90 percent accurate," he said.

But this year, he said, the predictions were slightly off the mark, resulting in more of a flu presence this winter. Across the nation, more than half of those inoculated for the flu are susceptible, he said, because of the missed predictions.

He said another factor is that, "the bug is a worse one than in previous years."

Warren McDougle, epidemiology program manager for the Hillsborough County Health

Department, confirmed there has been an increase. He said it happens every year about this time and that the numbers are about normal.

In the first week of February, he said, health care providers in Hillsborough reported 16 cases of influenza to his department. Last week 34 cases were confirmed. This week the number dropped to 25.

"It's flu season," he said. "We haven't seen anything indicating anything widespread throughout the community. If we saw an unusual spike, we would be calling you. This is not out of the ordinary."

Health officials say flu kills 40 to 50 people in this area every year.

Flu shots are delivered en masse in October and November, said Lori Wright, who is with the Florida Department of Health's bureau of immunization. "That's the peak season for flu shots," she said.

The current increase should serve as a reminder for people to take precautions, McDougle said.

"Since we have the flu in the community," he said, "it's up to each person to take precautions." Hand washing, covering mouths when sneezing in public and keeping away from people who are sneezing will help, he said.

"If you are sick," McDougle said, "stay home from work. If you don't, the next thing you know, we're all sick."

Health officials have identified different strains of influenza and typically develop vaccines that treat the strains they expect to see. Outbreaks of unexpected strains can spread unchecked, since vaccines take months to make and deliver.

Also, shots don't work immediately. It takes 10 days to two weeks before the vaccine makes the body resistant to the viruses.

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