Vicious flu season worsens in Missouri

The bad news is that the United States is in the midst of one of the worst influenza outbreaks in several years. The good news is that Nodaway County has been somewhat spared.

But don't look for that to last, says Della Rhoades, administrator of the Nodaway County Health Center in Maryville.

Until recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention flue map colored Missouri in dark yellow for "regional" flu outbreaks, mostly on the eastern side of the state.

Now, however, the state is shaded brown for "widespread," as is most of the rest of the nation except for the far West.

Nationwide, confirmed and reported cases of influenza are up 1,800 percent over the five-year median, Rhoades said. Missouri was doing slightly better but is catching up fast, which is to say it's been a vicious flu season just about everywhere.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports that more than 13,000 people were diagnosed with various strains of flu through Jan. 5. Most — more than 10,000 — fell victim to Influenza B, which has registered an increase of 5,527 percent over the five-season median.

Nodaway County has yet to experience a surge of illness, "But that's not going to last," Rhoades predicted, "It's going to get here too."

January and the early part of February are considered the heart of flu season, though cases are often reported as early as October. So Rhoades has a couple of messages for folks who have yet to get a flu shot: get vaccinated as soon as possible, and just because you haven't gotten sick yet doesn't mean you've dodged the bullet.

One of the few bright spots flu-wise is that the annual scientific guessing game played out each year by the World Health Organization and the CDCP really paid off for 2012-'13. According to Rhoades, the flu strains being diagnosed are precisely those this year's vaccine was engineered to prevent.

"The strains we're seeing across the nation are included in the vaccine," she said. "So come get a shot. It's not too late. There's plenty of vaccine, and it will help."

Ample vaccine is available this year and, for most, is readily affordable. The Health Center offers vaccinations free of charge with a suggested donation of $15. Rhoades emphasized, however, that no one should feel pressured to pay.

"We want people to get their shot," she said, "We're not concerned about the money."  

In addition to protecting one's health, Rhoades said the shots are also important in order to spare those who can't take vaccine, such as children under 6 months old and people who are allergic to eggs or who have had Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Besides vaccination, scrupulous personal hygiene can go a long way toward avoiding the misery and potential risk of a bout with inlfuenza.

"It just goes back to the very basics," Rhoades said. "Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. It can't be stressed enough. And when you go shopping, wipe the cart handle down (with disinfectant). Don't use a common pen to sign something, and cough or sneeze into your sleeve."

Ironically enough, one of the easiest places to catch the flu is at a hospital, which is why health-care centers across the state, including St. Francis Hospital & Health Services in Maryville, are strictly enforcing employee vaccination policies.

In a recent survey conducted by the Missouri Hospital Association, more than 50 percent of hospitals reported that 95 to 100 percent of their workers were vaccinated against seasonal influenza. Only 12 percent had vaccination rates of less than 70 percent.

St. Francis, which as 480 employees, reports a vaccination rate of 95 percent, according to spokesperson Rita Miller. The exceptions, she said, consist of a handful of workers unable to get shots for medical reasons or who object on religious grounds.

The survey found that more than 85 percent of Missouri hospitals have vaccination policies, and 97 percent extend the policy to all employees, not just those who provide direct patient care.