Flu Hits More Than 4.4K Georgians, 1 Death, As Virus Spreads

ATLANTA, GA — Flu has hit Georgia hard in recent weeks with one death blamed on the illness in the week that ended Nov. 30, the most recent week in which data was released by the Georgia Department of Public Health. The victim was over age 65; it is the first confirmed flu death in the Peach State this season.

The flu season is off to an “unusual” start and government health officials say it has already been blamed for over a thousand deaths, including 10 children. There’s a high chance activity will peak in late December though the worst could come anytime between the end of the year and February, according to flu season forecasts.

During the week of Nov. 24-30, state officials said 38 people were hospitalized with flu symptoms in Georgia. Since the start of the fall flu season, 132 people have been treated at hospitals in.

The proportion of outpatient visits at medical offices for the flu was 5.85 percent at the end of November, which is above the regional baseline of 2.4 percent. That translates to 4,441 Georgians were seen at a doctor's office during the last week of November for flu symptoms: a fever with a temperature of 100 degree or greater, and a cough or sore throat

So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says most illnesses are the result of the influenza B/Victoria viruses, which the agency said is unusual for this time of the year. The next most common virus in circulation is the A/H1N1 and it’s increasing in proportion relative to other viruses in some regions.

The latest data from the agency — current as of the week ending Dec. 6 — shows that the virus is widespread in 23 states, including Georgia.

The geographic spread of flu activity does not measure the severity of the virus.

The CDC’s influenza-like-illness surveillance measures the level of flu activity within a state. According to the latest data, flu activity is high in 11 states, including Georgia, and Puerto Rico. Moderate activity was reported in New York City and 11 other states.

To see where flu is widespread https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/ (scroll to bottom).

Influenza-like-illness activity map with links to state health departments for more info https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/fluview/main.html.

The flu can cause serious illness, hospitalization and death. The groups most at risk are older adults, very young children, pregnant women and those with certain chronic medical conditions, according to the CDC.

You can use the CDC’s flu vaccine finder to locate a pharmacy or clinic near you that provides the vaccine:

According to the CDC, symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever or feeling feverish/chills (though not everyone with flu will have a fever)
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.

It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to provide protection against the flu. You can find more information about the flu vaccine and its benefits here.