Springfield health officials warn of potential severe flu season

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Well being officers are maintaining a tally of what they are saying may very well be a extreme flu season this yr. 

Springfield-Greene County Well being Division officers mentioned flu numbers are on the rise within the space. 

Well being Division Administrator of Neighborhood Well being and Epidemiology, Kendra Findley, mentioned final yr, for your complete season, the county solely noticed 73 reported instances. 

Findley mentioned they noticed 99 instances of the flu reported within the month of November in Greene County. 

“While you look traditionally again, that’s the second highest variety of flu instances reported up to now going again to 2009. I’ve flu numbers recorded again all the way in which to 2004 and once more, that’s the second highest month that we’ve seen again to 2009,” Findley mentioned. 

She mentioned seeing the excessive quantity already may give us a preview of what we would have in retailer. 

“It’s form of an indicator that we’re going to start out seeing the next peak every week,” Findley mentioned. “We’re going to start out seeing that soar in instances. It’s an indicator that we might have a extreme flu season.” 

Flu numbers, Findley mentioned, don’t sometimes peak till Jan. or Feb. and lots of instances of the flu aren’t even reported. 

“My concern is that we’re going to have a excessive flu season and a COVID spike once more as a result of we might have Omicron come by way of,” Findley mentioned. “These are my issues. The very last thing we want is a pandemic on prime of a flu outbreak, however we might very effectively have that.” 

Knowledge exhibits the final two flu seasons, previous to final yr, having numbers above 4,000. 

“I’m actually anticipating that we’re going to have a flu season this yr very like these different years,” Findley mentioned. 

She mentioned whereas well being officers suggest getting the flu shot by Halloween, it’s not too late to get the shot. 

“It takes two weeks from if you get your flu shot to when you may have these protecting antibodies so that you simply’re absolutely protected towards flu,” Findley mentioned.