Influenza cases are increasing in Ohio and Kentucky. And, a growing number of people are being hospitalized for the illness, according to health agencies in both states.
Jennifer Mooney is the district director of health for the Northern Kentucky Health Department.
“More people are presenting with more serious infection, driving them into the health care system,” Mooney said.
She says flu shots help reduce the severity of influenza cases.
“If folks are not vaccinated, they may incur a more complicated disease,” Mooney said.
Fewer people have received the flu shot this year than last year, according to national CDC data.
Mooney says if you’re sick, stay home. Respiratory illnesses like influenza and COVID can be transmitted from person to person through droplets released from coughing and sneezing. The viruses can also spread through contact with contaminated surfaces.
RELATED: With vaccination rates low, health officials brace for a spike in illnesses
“If you are under-the-weather, if you're having a fever, if you're sneezing your head off, or you're coughing all day uncontrollably, I think it's really important to be mindful that there are people out there that are going to be more immunocompromised and suffer a more severe reaction if this gets passed on to them,” Mooney said.
Some local school districts are taking steps to contain a recent influx of disease.
The Newport Independent School District cancelled in-person classes Tuesday and Wednesday due to a rise in flu and stomach bug cases, according to its Facebook post.
Mooney says taking preventative measures, like handwashing, is important — especially for kids.
“One good practice, maybe they come home from school, and the very first thing they do is ... go into the bathroom and wash their hands. That keeps school germs at school, and then home germs at home,” Mooney said.
She also recommends covering your coughs and sanitizing hard surfaces.
Is it too late for a flu shot?
Mooney says it’s not too late to get the influenza vaccine.
“It's always a good time to get a vaccine,” Mooney said. “We know it's not 100% effective, but we also know that anybody who's ever had influenza and they've had a flu vaccine, knows that it lessens the duration and can reduce the symptoms that you have.”
You can find a pharmacy offering flu shots at www.vaccines.gov.
Flu cases crowd local hospitals’ emergency departments
Local hospitals are seeing more people than usual in their emergency departments, due to rising flu cases.
Tiffany Mattingly is the vice president of clinical strategies at The Health Collaborative. She says if your symptoms aren’t severe, consider other options for medical care before the ER.
“If it's not a severe emergent situation, such as trouble breathing or chest pain, or maybe you're really lethargic, or you're unable to hold down fluids, or there's some severe dehydration happening, you can be seen in an urgent care,” Mattingly said.
Mattingly says taking an at-home flu test or scheduling a telehealth visit with a primary care doctor are other alternatives. That can help keep wait times down in emergency rooms for people experiencing severe illness.