The number of flu cases in Southwest Ohio has been declining, but it doesn't mean the season is over.
“If you’ve seen one flu season, you’ve seen one flu season,” says Greg Kesterman. “Every flu season is unique.”
Hamilton County’s health commissioner says influenza and respiratory virus "season" is typically September to mid-May. He says a lot of people have been hospitalized this year.
“In fact, this year’s hospitalization numbers are two-and-a-half times greater than the five-year average,” he says. “A very significant season, for sure.”
Another metric, he says, is emergency department visits
“So far this season, the Southwest Ohio region saw a total of 3,900 emergency department visits for fever and influenza-like illness, with the peak being in December, with 537 ED visits.”
Kesterman says statewide, deaths from the flu are down by about 30%, but he says those numbers lag, as reports can be slow to come in.
“It spread super-easy this season, and so when folks came together at the end of December for the holidays they were able to spread it,” he says. “Only those that typically have the weaker immune systems ended up in the hospital. So we didn’t see a lot of pediatric flu cases this year, which is good news.”
Kesterman says while the federal government has changed its recommendations on vaccines, local health officials say people should talk to their health care provider.
He says the flu vaccine is still available.
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