Flu Still Widespread In Washington, Slows Nationally

SEATTLE, WA - The flu season is finally showing signs of slowing down, though 45 states, including Washington, still reported widespread flu activity, and 32 states reported heavy patient activity at doctors’ offices and clinics last week for treatment, U.S. health officials said Friday.

In its weekly report, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 17 pediatric deaths in the week that ended Feb. 24, bringing the total for the season to 114.

In Washington, 200 people have died of flu so far, according to the state Department of Health - and that's lower than the 2016-17 season. By this time last year, 278 people had died of flu in Washington. Snohomish, Spokane, and King counties have the highest flu death totals at around 30 each this season.

Hospitals continued to be crowded with flu patients, with nearly 82 in 100,000 people requiring hospitalizations. Nationally, the number of people seeking outpatient treatment represented 5 percent of medical appointments, which the CDC said was above its national baseline of 2.2 percent of visits to the doctor’s office for the flu.

The flu season normally hangs on through March and can linger into late May.

This has been one of the most active flu seasons in nearly a decade, surpassing the swine flu epidemic of 2009, and the flu vaccine hasn’t worked well this year. Still, health officials say, some protection is better than none and it’s still not too late to get a flu shot. Below, find a flu shot in your area.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted recently to bring back the nasal spray FluMist, a painless way to get the flu vaccine, for the 2018-2019 flu season. Unlike the flu shot, which uses an inactive version of the flu, FluMist contains a live weakened virus to offer protection.

Here are tips to avoid the flu and curb its spread, provided by the Centers for Disease Control:

• Stay home if you are sick. With the exception of seeking medical care, do not go out until 24 hours after your fever has subsided without the use of medication.
• Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that may have become contaminated with germs.
• Avoid others who are sick.
• Cough or sneeze into a tissue. Throw away tissues after use.

To treat the flu, use over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen or cough syrup to relieve symptoms.

Rest in bed and drink lots of fluids.

If you contact your doctor within 48 hours of onset of symptoms, you may be able to take an antiviral drug, which will reduce the severity of symptoms and length of the illness. You can be contagious from one day before and up to seven days after becoming sick.

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