NEW UPDATE: Get your damned flu shot!

This year’s flu infections far higher than last year - but the numbers are now stable
Vaccine is still available

By Will Collette

UPDATE, February 2: the Associated Press reports that RI cases of the flu seem to be on the wane. More than 8,000 Rhode Islanders have shown up in RI emergency rooms seeking treatment. Just under half of all Rhode Islanders have been vaccinated against this year's flu strain. The RI Health Department warns that even though the numbers have fallen slightly, it's still early in the flu season and there will be more cases before the season ends in the spring. There may also be upticks in Rhode Island cases. So get your damned flu shot.

UPDATE, January 25: the Centers for Disease Control reports that the number of newly reported flu cases has started to level off for most of the country, except the western states. That's good news. 

But the bad news is that we are still experiencing one of the worst years for flu in many years. It's not too late to get your flu shot. The effect of the shot reaches maximum level after two weeks, so don't delay. You not only protect yourself, but everyone around you.

Or move to Maine (see map).

UPDATE: Rhode Island flu cases continue to rise. 430 have been hospitalized and over 6,000 treated in hospital emergency rooms.

Thanks to media warnings, people are getting serious about getting their shots, leading to some spot shortages.

The RI Health Department says there is still plenty of vaccine available. If a pharmacy happens to be out of stock, that's probably just a supply chain issue, so either check again or try another pharmacy. 

Rite-Aid and CVS report shortages at their stores in some regions, but they are dealing with the problem by shifting their stocks around to provide coverage.

Plus, there are lots of public flu shot clinics taking place around the state. Click here for dates and locations.

Last year’s flu season was pretty mild, but so far this year, flu cases are running way ahead of the norm. The flu has arrived earlier than usual and is hitting the state (and the nation) harder.

The RI Health Department has issued a notice urging Rhode Islanders to get vaccinated for flu as soon as possible, before supplies run out. They say an average of 200 patients per day are showing up in emergency rooms with flu symptoms and 10 per day are being hospitalized. Approximately 40% of Rhode Islanders have been vaccinated.

Here’s an example of how bad the flu is this year compared to last year. Last year, from December 1, 2011 to January 8, 2012, Rhode Island Hospital saw 34 cases of flu or flu-like illness. For the same period this year, Rhode Island Hospital has seen 392 such cases.

This early and intense flu outbreak is nationwide and is causing some stress and concern within the public health community. While the Centers for Disease Control says it is confident that this year’s flu vaccine is a good match for the type of flu that has hit this year, some doubts have been raised about how well a match it really is.

For the average person, that debate is pretty academic since the vaccine, as the saying goes, “is what it is.” Since the risks associated with the vaccine are so miniscule, and the risks of catching the flu, especially given that this year’s version is very contagious, are high…get the damned flu shot.

Fortunately, this year’s flu doesn’t seem to have a high mortality rate – flu can be a horrific public health disaster, as was the case when the world was hit with the pandemic Spanish Flu of 1918 that killed as many as 50 million people. But it’s still very early in the flu season.

The CDC estimates an average of 36,000 deaths per year in the United States from flu. So far this flu season, 18 children have died from flu. Massachusetts has already recorded 18 flu deaths.

In these hard times, catching the flu can be an economic disaster for low-wage workers. If you miss getting the shot and have to miss work with the flu, the chances are 80% if you’re a low-wage workers and 50-50 if you’re an average worker that you won’t get any paid sick days.

If you’re a Rhode Island resident, you can get the shot with minimal fuss at most RI pharmacies at no cost and perhaps save yourself from losing a week or more of your wages.

This is especially important for the elderly, the very young and persons with chronic health conditions. RI Health Department Director Dr. Michael Fine acknowledges that the flu vaccine is not 100% guaranteed to prevent the flu, and that some vaccinated individuals may catch the flu. However, the vaccine will make the symptoms less severe in those who get the disease despite having gotten the shot.

Fine says: “Flu vaccination is recommended for everyone six months of age and older, including healthy adults between 18 and 49 years of age. Immunization against the flu is especially important for healthcare workers, pregnant women, anyone older than 50 years of age, nursing or group home residents, and people with chronic conditions or weakened immune systems. Common chronic conditions include heart, lung or kidney disease, diabetes, asthma, anemia, and blood disorders. It is also especially important for those who live with or care for people who are at high risk for flu-related complications to be immunized.”

To find a flu shot clinic in your area or find more information about flu, visit www.health.ri.gov/flu.